Mon Nepu Rebirth
by Hoaryu
Summary: A pair of ordinary girls are about to shake the foundation of Gamindustri!
1. Chapter 1

_Why reset everything? After having to deal with weather related issues and a small rut of sorts, I came to the realization that I while I really liked the idea of traveling Gamindustri, but I didn't like the reason for doing so. Having to leave behind some girls after just meeting isn't fair to them and missing out on fun specific to them is well, no fun. Long story short (ha) this rework is going to have adventure take a backseat and let shenanigans ensue more often, especially when Neptune is involved. Now despite saying that the beginning will be a little rough given their circumstances, but things get settled in we'll see more and more of the girls of Gamindustri MUCH faster, and they'll be showing up more often. Here's hoping this revamp does the old one justice in your eyes._

* * *

I've never dealt with this store owner personally, but I'm running an errand for my sister so I'll have to do my best to pick up...whatever it is that I'm picking up for her. She was pretty excited about it too, and said that this was a gift from someone she knew but didn't say who exactly. I guess I'll have to ask her about it later but I think my turn is coming up soon. "Next customer!"

Three-er, two people now, were ahead of me in line and I was getting a little nervous with how my first impression with the top saleswoman of the Planeptune Bazaar would go. According to Neptune she could be your best friend and help you out in a pinch, for a price, or she could be your worst nightmare and any transaction or anything involving money would be a hassle. Odd how no discounts were mentioned for being on her good side but that was probably just another detail my sister left out. "Neeeext!" That cheery voice boomed once more over all the other commotion in the area and the woman she was just dealing with passed me with a smile.

The woman, who was wearing a very fluffy sweater complete with detachable sleeves, along with a plaid skirt and boots that reached her knees, waved at me and continued on her way. Her name is Compa, I think, and she's always making house calls for us because Neptune has a habit of coming back injured from the errands she runs. I understand she wants to help everyone out and keep our nation strong, but she's only human and can only do so much for the place we call home. Her high spirits can only keep her going for so long before-

"Next customer please!"

"Ah!" The pair of people ahead of me must've been together and now it's my turn! Okay, okay, all I have to do is walk up to her, introduce myself, get what I'm here for and go back home. "H-hello!" I said nervously as I walked up to the counter. "I-I'm here for-"

"Neptune?" I was cut off by a small girl popping up from behind the counter, who beamed an odd smile at me while wearing the strangest of outfits. She wore a pair of large, white gloves that looked comical on someone as short as her and the hat she had on was probably bigger than her. It looked like a combination of a bunny and a foreign slime, but there was something else about it that was giving me a funny feeling. "Is the rude girl here Neptune's sister or not? Gust has no time for people who only stare."

"I'm here for Neptune...ma'am!" I stood at attention and forced myself to look above her into the shop filled with vials, books, pots, and other alchemical tools in order to show her I didn't mean any disrespect. She sounded annoyed with me but hopefully I can turn this around! "I-it's the first time I've met you in person, Ms. Gust! My sister talks about you all the time and says that if you sold food you'd be the sole person she'd give money to!" I probably look like a fool right now telling that joke but anything is better than having one of Neptune's friends mad at me. I wouldn't be surprised if she actually felt that way though...

"Oho?" Gust's voice had returned to its jolly tone as she went back under her counter while throwing boxes of various sizes around when suddenly the counter bumped up a little, followed by a faint shriek.

"What was that?" I asked as Gust came back up with a small box completely unphased by that frightening noise. If my suspicions are correct it was either her or...her hat that made that sound. "Did-"

"Nevermind that, here's your package: One deluxe dessert courtesy of...Cr...Cu...er..." She cut me off once again while trying to pronounce the name on the boxes tag. Whoever sent this must've been good friends with Neptune, this is completely wrapped with her favorite shade of purple and held neatly together by a pink ribbon. We've helped plenty of people and most of the time they thank her right then and there, unless this is supposed to be from someone that's actually close to her. If that's the case then the only people I can think of would be Gust herself, which I don't think would be willing to part with anything for free, or that instructor we've let live with us for the past few weeks. I still don't know why we let her move in and Neptune refuses to give me a straight answer for some reason. "Bah! Courtesy of some strange girl with stranger name." She handed me the box and I looked at the tag myself and the writing was so small I could barely read it.

I bowed a little and quickly stepped out of the next customer's way and headed home. There were several people worriedly talking amongst themselves which made the trip back to our place feel...ominous. I'm sure it has to do with the rumors of the monsters outside getting closer and closer to our nation due to our lack of a Matriarch. Hm, I remember reading up about the Matriarchy of Gamindustri, a group of women that had become monsters themselves for the sake of protecting their respective nations, and how they vanished one by one until there was only one left. That Matriarch was in charge of Planeptune and things quickly went to ruin under her rule and she was eventually overpowered by the people and was banished, never to be seen again and only mentioned in history books. I can't imagine how terrible things must've been with someone like that running things, but with the way things are looking we won't have to worry about that. Although that might be preferably to who knows what lies out there. "Excuse me, have you heard the news yet?" I turned the block and was stopped shortly afterward by two older women who seemed to be worried about something. As much as I hate to say it, it should be easier to recognize people with a majority leaving for safer nations but I can't put a name to these ladies faces.

"I haven't. Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly, but have you heard who's dropping by tomorrow?" The blonde woman spoke up this time. She sighed and rubbed her arm as she went on after I shook my head. "The Matriarch of Lastation is heading here tomorrow and more than likely she's going to take...'offer to protect us.'"

"Hm? You say that as if it's a bad thing." Wouldn't having a Matriarch willing to watch over us help in the long run? It would put a stop the encroaching monsters if those rumors true, and Neptune could finally take it easy and not worry about them for once.

"Don't you get it? We won't have a guardian of our own if this happens! Planeptune won't be its own nation anymore!" The brunette cried out, startling her friend and me. "Lowee got another Matriarch ages ago, Lastation's has been around for a little over a decade and Leanbox's has finally gotten settled in! When will our nation get one?" Tears had started rolling down the brunette's cheeks as she let herself go. "They've all kept to themselves all this time and for one of them to come to us at a time like this is just-"

"We already talked about this; it's not going to be like that." The blonde chimed in while comforting her friend. "We have family living there and they're perfectly fine, aside from...nevermind." She gave her a short hug before taking her in arm and guiding her away. "Let's head back home. Sorry about that Nepgear, don't worry your sister over something like this." She waved good-bye with her free hand and we were both off in our separate directions. This might actually be worse than I thought, the whole reason Neptune puts her life on the line outside is to prevent something like this from happening. Having some stranger, no matter how strong they might be, come in and do what she's dedicated herself to would devastate her! I'm not sure how I should break the news to her-I...I'm not even sure IF I should tell her! Would it be better to tell her now or should I wait for her to find out for herself... I clutched the gift tightly and racked my brain as I tried to figure out how I should handle this...

* * *

"I'm home!" I've made it back without speaking to anyone else and I still haven't come up with a solution to this dilemma.

"Took you long enough!" Heavy thuds pounded against the floor as Neptune recklessly came running from around the corner with a smile brimming wide across her face. Oh, it hurts just thinking about telling her the bad news! Wait, why are her clothes all torn up? "What's with the funky look? Did Gust give you a hard time?"

"No, no! I-I was just wondering why your clothes were so raggedy is all."

"That would be my fault." A red-headed woman poked her head out from around the corner and smiled bashfully as she approached us. "Your sister finally passed my little exam and she's ready for a real weapon of her own. I'll admit I didn't think she'd make it this quickly but she's full of surprises...now if only her clothes weren't full of holes. A-anyway, with it being the real deal and all I tried a little harder to hit her and well...sorry." She scratched her head and bowed as she made her way over to our small couch and took a seat. "You should've seen her though, from beginning to end she fought as fierce as some of the monsters I've come across. She just needs to form her own technique and-"

"You cheated and you know it Falcom!" Neptune pouted as she turned to throw herself onto the couch as well, planting her head in our guest's lap. "I would've bopped you good had not used those fancy blue sparks and those crazy after-images!"

"Ha, I wasn't aware having a good defense was against the rules. You'll be doing the same one day but," She gently got from under Neptune's head and got up to stretch. "I think I've taught you all I can about fighting. Well, all that you can handle right now and I think that's good enough to get you by." I bet she's referring to the reason she's here to help.

"I know you've been wondering why I invited some cute stranger into our humble home and I guess I can finally tell you." Neptune sat upright and fixed her hair a little before putting on a serious face. "Planeptune has been changing over the years and I think all the good deeds for helping our people has paid off...for the worse. A while ago I was on my way home from getting some teacher's supplies, don't ask how they got lost on the Actua Plains by the way, and I couldn't help but feel like something was watching me. I returned her belongings and instead of coming home the normal way I took a bunch of detours and the farther I got the worse that funky feeling got. By the time I realized what it was I was already running and eventually bumped into our friend here."

"Realized what?" I hope she isn't saying what I think she's saying...

"Some creeper got wind of my popularity and started stalking me! I know I'm a nice catch and all but to do something like this is unforgivable! The second Falcom introduced herself I knew I had to drag her back here for my own safety and learn a thing or two about self-defense. I mean, seriously, at least introduce yourself before doing things like this!"

"Wh-what!? You have a stalker!?"

"I know right? I mean, yeah I'm worried about my safety and all but you'd think this would've already happened by n-"

"You have a stalker and didn't bother to tell me about it!?" I took a few steps forward as I interrupted her obvious attempts at trying to not seem scared about this and let her have a piece of my mind. "What if they gave up and came after me or something!? How could you keep something like that from your own sister?"

I was ready to give her a few thumps for hiding such a terrible thing from me when she shrugged and smiled at me. "I thought that time wouldn't have come because I would've dealt with the jerk by then. Come on, you worry about me while I'm outside Planeptune, I don't need you worrying about me while I'm still in it."

"I...didn't think about it like that but that's besides the point. What if something ha-"

"Pardon me," Falcom said as she went to the door to put her boots on, "but you should really cut your sister some slack. She was 100% serious during our sessions and I think she's ready to take care of this problem when the time comes. Which brings me to my next point; I think I've overstayed my welcome so I'll take be taking my leave now." As she finished putting her knee-high blue boots and jacket back on Neptune sprang from the couch and grabbed her arm.

"What? You can't leave! Not until I conquer this creeper!" She gasped and pointed at me. "What if another pops up and they get the hots for my little sister? Not that I'd let them live long enough for a second thought but what if I'm not around? Could you give her some pointers like you did for me?" After an awkward pause she let go and backed up towards me. "Look, I kinda got used to having someone around that isn't my sister and want you to stay just weeee bit longer. Not that there's anything wrong with you Nepgear it's just...y'know..."

"I get what you're saying Neptune. I don't mind Falcom being here with us but..." I eased my head towards her and whispered in her ear. "I'm starting to worry about her, she hasn't eaten much since she's been here and-"

"And that's what this is for!" In a quick, playful uppercut of sorts and snatched her present out of my hands. "Since you're gonna be here for a bit longer how about you dig into this awesome present of mine?"

Falcom politely shook her head as she took her boots and jacket back off. They were both a bright shade of blue with a decorative white stripe on them and matched perfectly with her skirt. She says she's traveled all over the world and fought countless enemies but I can't imagine doing so with something that short... "As much as I'd like to I have whatever's in that box I've got to watch my figure. Now that I think about it I've got something personally to attend to, so if you'll excuse me." She smiled as she made her way past us and went into the hall towards our rooms, all while fiddling with that simple choker of hers.

"Be sure to lock the door or we'll have another incident~"

"N-Neptune!" I don't think I can ever forget that blood curdling scream from last week. It was in the middle of the night and I heard Neptune running around in the middle of the night and bumping into the bathroom door. That wasn't anything unusual but the moment she opened it the next few moments were filled with a pair of horrifying screams that had me paralyzed in fear for the rest of the night. No matter how many times I asked Falcom insisted nothing happened whereas Neptune bragged about 'seeing the goods', so someone is hiding something from me and I can't help but wonder what and why.

"What? I'm just saying she should lock up while we indulge ourselves." She responded casually as she went to the kitchen table and opened the box with amazing speed revealing...a large, gently wrapped piece of chocolate. Actually, it's modeled in the shape of our small cross hair pins and my sister wasted no time in breaking it apar-with her bare hands!? "Hiya!" She brought her hand down, holding it open like a knife, and made a loud thud as it came in contact with our dessert with alarming force. "Gh...guess my training didn't prepare for something this tough..."

I ran over to reprimand her for that random attack but my eyes were immediately drawn to some pink goo slowly oozing out of the crack in the chocolate she made. A heavenly scent drifted up to my nose and ignoring the stifled grunts from my sister, I claimed my half of the food and took a lick. "Mmmm, this cream is delicious!" I didn't want to bother with the chocolate just yet and instead focused on preventing a further mess by cleaning up the delicious filling.

"H-how could you ignore me like that?" I know when she's putting on a show and I can see a faint smile hiding behind those quivering lips of hers. Two can play at that game and I can easily gain the upper hand if she keeps this up. I shrugged and licked away the last of the cream that seeped out of my half before reaching towards the other half. "Oh no you don't!" As expected she snatched up the other half of our snack and took a huge bite out of it. A much larger bite than she can handle in fact, and she tried speaking but all that came out was gibberish.

"Wait, Neptune, stop eating!" She froze instantly, teeth already sinking into her next bite, and listened intently to what I had to say. "Do you remember who even sent this to you? What if this is from that stalker of yours?"

We both sat there, staring at each other in a deadly silence, as the thought sank into our heads. I could feel sweat forming and slowly trickling down my forehead in anticipation of Neptune's answer, but I was already expecting the worst. What if they tampered with this food? What if this was the first of many gifts, each one getting more personal and closer than the last? I can't believe I was enjoying it a few seconds ago without even considering-Ah! What if they were watching me enjoy it and...and... "Nodda cha-" She swallowed the piece that she was already working on and continued. "Not a chance! I actually met the girl who sent this a while ago. Kinda hard to forget her too since the first thing she said to me was 'holy crap, I didn't think I'd see you here of all places' even though I don't leave Planeptune much. We got to talking and it turns out I met her before, I just can't really remember when and I'm sure I would've remembered seeing a girl as small as her before."

"Just like with Falcom..." I mumbled, hoping to remind her of that one night.

"Anyway, she said that she could whip something up for me that would change our lives and who am I to turn down something as amazing sounding as that? Oh right, she mentioned you and said you need to lighten up and take it easy."

"I think I take it easy enough..." At least, I think I do. Am I really just a high strung sister that's looking out for her only family? N-no! I'm fun and easy to get along with! I firmly grabbed my chocolate and devoured it on the spot, without leaving any smudges on my cheeks or fingers, impressing Neptune to the point where she slowed down on finishing hers. That'll teach her to tell me to lighten up. I'm fun.

"Whoa, I had no idea you were such a neat sloppy eater. How did you even..." She tried to mimic my technique but she still left some chocolate on her finger and choked a bit. "Gah! Pretty sneaky Nepgear, but I'm not going to be beat that easily! The next time we get some food I'm gonna..." She trailed off on purpose and began mumbling complete nonsense until a little smirk left my lips and soon after I was holding my stomach in laughter at her antics. "We've gotta get some sleep, tomorrow's gonna be a big day for us!" She said excitedly as she leapt towards the hall leading to the bathroom.

"Why, what's happening to us tomorrow?"

"We're gonna tell that Lastation woman we don't need some stranger's help." A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders as she said that. I'm pretty excited to not have to tell her the news myself and I won't bother her with how she found out. I'm not exactly sure how we're going to tell Lastation's Matriarch, a monster woman who's probably as powerful as she is mysterious, we don't need her help. Not to mention there are just so many more people than us, and I'm sure they'd want her protection, despite coming out of nowhere with this offer. As we got ready for bed I began having second thoughts on basically telling her off, I mean, we're just normal girls trying to make the best of things in our home nation...that's been slowly losing people over the years and is in danger of...no, I can't think of these things this close to bed. I'll take a note from Neptune and deal with this when the time comes for a change.

* * *

"Nepgear."

It can't be morning already, it feels like I just fell asleep. I barely opened up my eyes and peered into darkness, save for the light on my miniature-mecha clock, and pulled the covers over my head. "Just have Falcom help you out or something..." I'm actually feeling pretty tired for some reason so some rest would be lovely.

"I-I can't find her." Her whispers sounded even more rushed than before and she rocked me back and forth in an attempt to get me up. "Seriously, we've gotta go to the Basilicom, it's an emergency!"

"Ugh..." My stomach rumbled the moment she said Basilicom and I groggily got up out of bed. "If it's an emergency I guess I'll go with you. Let me get-"

"No time, gotta go!" She yanked me by the hand and pulled me out of my room, through the hall, and out of our modest little house into the moonlit streets of Planeptune. I was far too tired to resist her dragging me where she pleased but I had no control over the situation, especially with how badly my stomach is churning. And where have I heard the word Basilicom before?


	2. Chapter 2

_Things are starting to get rolling as Neptune and Nepgear set off into the night. With a new beginning to the Mon Nepu start comes earlier appearances of your favorite characters, and we'll get a good look at how they act when they take a walk on the wild side.__  
_

* * *

The sounds of our bare feet hitting the cold pavement filled the air as Neptune pulled me behind her, darting from side to side in search of the Basilicom. I still can't concentrate enough to remember what that was exactly, but we're out in the middle of the night in matching gum drop pajamas so it's obviously important. Thankfully the streetlights were still working and paired with the full moon high above us we could easily make our way past familiar buildings in search of...ugh, no matter how hard I try I can't recall what a Basilicom is! "Neptune, can we stop for a minute? Why are we running around looking for this place?"

"Emergency, gotta hurry." She completely ignored me and kept tugging me along past recently abandoned. I can't blame them with all the rumors going around but I'm sure there are more people like Neptune that are more than willing to fight for our home...I hope. "We're close, I can feel it."

"Why?" I said while trying to hold back a yawn. "I can't...yaaah...think of any good wandering around outside like this will do us. We're going to get sick at this rate, and for what?" I think I've finally gotten to her as she came to a stop and calmly turned around...with a serious expression on her face.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." She said without even a hint of smile. What's that supposed to mean? I doubt that the reason is so out there that I wouldn't believe my own sister.

"Wh-what? Neptune please," I pleaded as I grabbed her by the shoulders, "you know you can tell me anything. Just te-"

"The voice in my head is telling me that the Basilicom is part of the answer to our problems." Again, she spoke in a flat tone and-what? I stared at her, completely dumbfound, as I tried to piece together what she said. We're so close to losing Planeptune to Lastation that it must be stressing Neptune to the point that...no...I just said she can confide in me and to think she's going crazy would be wrong of me. "I know it sounds crazy but it's the truth. Whether or not this will keep the monsters away is beyond me but until we get this finished the voice won't leave me alone." She tried to end her explanation with a funny remark but I don't think even she was able to make light of the situation.

"As crazy it sounds...I'll follow you through to the end." If she can't be herself then I'll have to try for her. "Besides, you owe me several trips and...huh?" As I looked into her eyes a faint, purple glow caught my own eye and I silently pointed behind my sister. In the distance we could see a tall building and something about it seemed to draw us closer and closer to it, making the purple glow retreat out of sight.

"This is it! It's the Basilicom!" The Neptune I was used to was back and she happily ran towards the building with me trailing behind. Upon getting closer to it we were stopped by large double doors that were made of some strange metal that was cool to the touch. At least, it felt strange to the touch to me and I've had my fair share of contact with the stuff thanks to Neptune and the things she brings back. We knocked and continued feeling around the door when a loud hiss made us step back as we were greeted by a short burst of wind that pushed us back a little. "Huh, I thought we would've needed a password or something for a place like this. Come on, the sooner we do this thing the better."

"Mhm!" As tired as I was I couldn't help but feel a little pumped about finally having a little adventure with my sister. We stepped inside only to have the doors gently close behind us by themselves followed by dim lights turning on by themselves along the aisle we were standing in. Several rows of pews could seen going down with the lights, all the way up to a podium and a stained glass window of a beautiful woman with long white hair. Her hands were clasped together and her head was down, as if in prayer, and...that's all I can see unfortunately. Everything below her waist had lost its color and faded to black...which gave me an even worse feeling and made me clutch my stomach.

"Nepgear," Neptune said in a quiet voice as she walked up to the podium herself. "how much do you want to bet that was the last lady to become a Matriarch or whate-" She stopped herself mid-sentence and scratched her head furiously while groaning in pain. "What more do you want from me!? I'm here!"

Before I could ask if it was the voice in her head the sound of something heavy falling echoed from the hall to our left. The lights on the ground split from in front of the podium and went in two opposite directions, leaving us with a tough decision. A decision that I didn't hesitate to make for the sake of freeing Neptune from her torment. "I'll take the one from where that noise came from." ...I wish I had thought that through, going in the direction of a strange bump in the night is actually something an older sibling should be doing. Of course, Neptune would realize this too and spare me the-

"Phew, dodged a bullet there!" Without a second thought Neptune skipped off into the darkness in the other direction, leaving me to deal with the side I mistakenly claimed.

"W-well...I said I'd do it so I have to do it..." Step by step I slowly made my down the western hall, guided only by the small strip of lights on the floor, past several doors that were more than likely locked shut. The end of hall came into view and there was no where else to go except back and-wait, this door is slightly ajar. "I guess I don't have a choice. Ah!" I charged forward and threw the door open to see...nothing. Nothing inside this empty room aside from a large window on the other side and yet another pair of double doors that looked like the closet. If only I had room as big as this I'd be able to better tinker with Neptune's souvenirs. "I just wish it wasn't so dark in here..." The moment I said that the light in the center flickered and turned on, starting out dimly then becoming bright enough to light up the room and then some. With the darkness gone I felt a little safer and decided to investigate the closet. If whatever made that noise was hiding in there I can just slam the door back and go get Neptune. "Here goes!"

I swung the doors wide open to see nothing of interest except for a book lying in the middle of the closet. There was something strange about it and I felt compelled to pick it up and get a closer look at it. It was a hardbound, white and purple book with a large 'A' emblem on the front of it and it was heavier than it looked. The moment I opened the front cover I was blown back by a brilliant purple flash of light as the book floated in place! In my surprise all I could do was cover my eyes and wait for the surge of whatever hit me to go away so I can make my escape. "Reawakened at last. Aaah, to breathe fresh air once again. You have my thanks Nept-" That gentle voice seemed to be coming from the book but that's impossible; there's no such thing as talking books. Well, there are woman who become monsters but...a book? I stared in disbelief as the book and that strange glow approached when it finally started taking the shape of a very small woman that wore odd clothes. She wore a short, dark blue robe with gold trim on sleeves that were way too big for her, along with a matching mortarboard with gold tassels hanging off the corners. Her smile radiated kindness as her long strands of purple hair settled behind her when suddenly she spoke up again. "It seems I'm mistaken. You're...Nepgear, correct?"

"Y-yes?" I answered, confused as to how she knew my name and how someone this tiny could even exist.

I remained silent and waited for her to speak once more. "Forgive me for startling you, I was expecting your sister. Where is she by the way?" Her smile faded as she began looking around the room, rotating on the book I held just moments ago, searching for Neptune.

"A-are you the voice in her head?"

She finished surveying the room and brought her attention back to me and nodded. "That I am. Finding her is of utmost priority." She turned around and began floating towards the hall before stopping and grunting to herself. "Neptune...didn't tell you about me, did she?" The tiny woman glided back to me with an annoyed look on her face and took my silence as a no. "I should've expected as much. I failed to introduce myself earlier; I am Histoire, Fairy-Herald of Planeptune's Matriarch, and I have summoned you and your sister to secure the future of our nation." Histoire stood up on her book, exposing her bare legs and feet clad in bright gold sandals, and bowed to me before extending her hand towards me.

I extended my hand as well without thinking and nearly poked her off of her platform. "Um..." Instead I gave her the tip of my pinky and we shook right there but I don't quite understand the 'secure the future' bit. "You said you work for the Matriarch right? According to all the books I've read we haven't had one for ages. Sorry if I'm being difficult, I've had quite a night wandering around looking for this place and for some reason I really want to get back to sleep. Just...who are you the Herald of now?" I don't think I could've emphasized 'really' any harder but she smirked and tilted her head.

"Why, Neptune of course. The both of you have taken your first steps to becoming monster girls. Her drive to protect her home coupled with..." The sound of her voiced dulled as my head began throbbing at this revelation. When did this happen? How does one even BECOME a monster girl in the first place? It was never explained in any of the books I've read and they don't even say what kind of monster they become! What's going to happen to Neptune? Is she going to shrink down like Histoire or is going to turn into something huge and vicious!? "What's the matter? You've gone quite pale and you're shivering. The thought of becoming a monster shouldn't frighten you, you've been liv-"

I grabbed her as quickly, and as gently, as I could and opened my mouth to speak but there were no words. I simply...couldn't think of anything to say and instead released her and made a mad dash towards the other side of the Basilicom. Unlike the other doors several of these were marked but I couldn't make out what they were precisely with how fast I was running through the dimly lit hall. There was a door wide open with a light on and I stormed inside, with my heart racing even faster as I saw Neptune lying on her side on the floor. I ran and slid forward on my knees and cradled her in my arms, and was ready to let her have a piece of my mind for doing whatever it was that caused this, when her loud snoring stopped me in my tracks. "Mmmh...she's...my radar...huge..." I hugged her as tightly as I could and did my best to stay quiet so I wouldn't wake her up.

"Is everything alright?" I didn't think Histoire would've been here so soon with how small she was but she managed to keep up and started hovering in front of us. "I'm sorry, it's been so long since I've had to help someone that I've forgotten that some people don't take this as easily as others. There's a little time to spare so why don't you sleep and I'll continue explaining things in the morning?" I nodded and gently put Neptune back down and curled up behind her, holding her like teddy bear, and tried to think of a...cute monster she'd end up becoming. That I hoped she would become anyway. "Please don't worry too much Nepgear, you and your sister will become something that perfectly suits you."

I nodded and closed my eyes as I rocked myself gently to sleep with Neptune in my arms as Histoire hovered nearby humming a strange melody for us. The sound of her song was the thing that could be heard as I drifted off into slumber, hoping that the next day wouldn't be too much for me...or Neptune to handle...

* * *

"Nngh..." A warm light hit me in the face but I was far too comfortable to even block it with my hands. Had I known sleeping while holding Neptune like that would make sleep feel this good I would've...wait...something isn't right here. I moved back and forth a little and that odd feeling didn't go away; it was if I was lying in a pool of something sticky and...n-not again! Neptune must've brought one of her secret stashes of desserts with her and ate it in her sleep. This isn't the first time it's happened but this sleep eating is a terrible habit that she can't seem to break! "Neptune?"

"I swear both of these girls are going to be a handful if they keep up at this rate." It sounds like Histoire is coming into the room and she doesn't sound too happy about us. I reluctantly sat up, drowsily rubbed my eyes, and brushed off some strange pieces of cloth off of me, all while wondering why this sticky stuff was so...sticky! "Finally! I was beginning to think neither of you would wake up in time." Neither of us? Despite my head feeling a little heavier I looked around the room and couldn't see Neptune. "There's no time to waste! The both of you must hurry outside and stop Lastation's Matriarch's speech before it's too late!" She circled around me and helplessly shooed me forward, convincing me to get up and get out of...i-it's not getting off of me?

"Wha-? Histoire, moving feels really weird with all this goo on me. Can I ba-"

"Absolutely not." Her tone reminded me of an angry mother and I stood up in attention, ignoring the warm purple stuff that was dripping off my bangs and covering my body. "You are to go outside immediately and introduce yourselves as Planeptune's new leaders!" She ended in a tiny huff that had sent me running awkwardly out of the room and down the hall until I got to the main room.

With Neptune nowhere in sight I felt like I couldn't properly introduce myself, but the least I could do was stall until she caught up. As I walked towards the large double doors I looked at my hand and after thinking about it, wasn't all that concerned about this slimy stuff and played around with it in between my fingers. "I'm sure they'll understand since Neptune's involved after all. Everybody knows she's a big eater so a good laugh will be a nice way to start taking up time while she-"

"Are you calling your petite, adorable sister fat?" A large mass of purple, shaped just like Neptune's head, loomed in front of me upside down with an accusatory tone.

"Neptu-aaah!?" The purple thing had appeared so quickly and suddenly that I lost my footing and tripped over myself, falling face first and screaming with what sounded like my sister.

"Wooohoooo!" A-all this purple slime that's coating my body...that happy cry in the face of danger...N-Neptune's a Slime!? "You need a little bounce in your step, sis!" She lunged forward-er, backwards? I-I can't tell exactly but she added her momentum to mine to while covering more of my body, making me land on my rear and bouncing off of it thanks to her elasticity, and laughed nonstop as we helplessly flew towards the entrance. "Ahaha, oops! Maybe I put a little too much boooooounce!"

"For goodness' sake, doors open!" In the midst of our bouncing out of control I could see the doors swinging open to a bright and sunny Planeptune Plaza, where a somewhat tall, black haired woman was making a speech to a crowd of people.

"...and it is with great pleasure that I, Noire, Matriarch of Lastation, lend a-" A collective gasp could be heard from the audience as Neptune and I approached at break-neck speed. "Wh-what? There's no-nyaaah!" With a soft thud we had collided into her and gone flying toward the mass the people who had already cleared a wide area for our rough landing.

"That...was...awesome!" I could feel Neptune moving about on my head and back during her little celebration but I hope she didn't forget why we came out here in the first place. Hmm...that landing wasn't anywhere near as hard as I thought it'd be for some reason. "Hey, Nepgear, stand up already."

"Oh, sorry." It is kind of my fault she's stuck to me...I think.

"Ahem," She cleared her throat dramatically, "citizens of Planeptune, you know as well as I do that our nation sorely needs a Matriarch's protection if we wanna keep living here, right? Well I've someho-er I mean I've totally found a way to unleash the beast within to save the place we call home and I ask just one thing in return." I glanced up to see her scanning the horizon for the woman who called herself Noire but she was nowhere in sight. "I ask...for your acceptance! Several of you know that I, along with my sister Nepgear, were willing to go to great lengths to help you guys! Sure we couldn't help everyone at once but we were only human then; but now look at us. As soon as I'm able to I'll get right to work and you can bet the cute girl under me will be doing the same when the time comes!"

The crowd's applause started off sounding unsure but that faded away quickly as the clapping picked up and the cries of the citizens, both young and old, filled the air with their approval. I rolled the slime on my hands back and began clapping alongside everyone when the very ground I stood on began to move and rumble beneath me! "Nyaaah! Now you wait just a second here!" I-I was on top of Noire this entire time!? She shifted her body and moved me off of her before standing up to dust her unusual clothes off. Her high heeled shoes had long, criss-crossing strips of ribbon that stopped below her knees that covered stocking that went all the way up to her thighs. The actual outfit she wore was something I never could've imagined with how frilly her black shorts and white shirt were, but neither of those compared to the matching corset she wore and the amount of belts that held it together. The only normal thing about this woman was the blue bow she wore around her neck she had just finished readjusting on herself. "Who do you think you are crashing into people like that? Don't you know who I am?" Noire's tail and cat ears had shot up and twitched as she shouted at us.

"Um, yeah? You were just going on about yourself, Ms. Lastation Matriarch." I readjusted a little as Neptune arced her body, or whatever part was latched to my head and shoulders, towards the stranger and formed arms to cross. "No offense but I think you've got another angle here. You and the other boss ladies have been holed up in your nations for years and you just now want to show your face?"

"Wait a minute, you're-" Noire's expression softened and her tail relaxed as she calmed down, but Neptune continued talking without even giving her a chance to say anything.

"Wait wait wait, that came out wrong." She said with a sigh. "What I mean to say, is that you're kind of a stranger to us and we don't know how you do things over in Lastation, and some people don't want things to change. That and we already have plenty of people doing their best to keep things going smoothly, namely yours truly and the ride I came in on." Neptune extended a shiny hand. "Tell you what: let me and my sister get settled in and give us a weee-gah, three days, and if we haven't put a lid on this encroachment problem we'll have a chat and come to an agreement or something." She had me until the time limit, it sounded like she was about to have a breakdown but she recovered and kept going as if nothing happened.

Noire, on the other hand, looked a little surprised and smirked to herself. "Hmph, so you plan on proving yourself worthy of your title?" She flicked one of her long pigtails aside and puffed her chest out. "Very well, I'll hold you to that. Don't you dare disappoint me..." With those last words she turned tail and left through the path of people that silently cleared a path for her.

"Three days people! ...I can't believe she left me hanging..."

"Ah, Neptune! Warn me when you're going to shout like that..." The plaza was filled with the sounds of people excitedly talking about what just happened and everyone slowly went about their own business while I carried Neptune back inside to the Basilicom. No wonder it seemed so large last night, it's up on a small flight of stairs and the wings themselves were just...how did I not notice how huge they were last night?

"That was a wonderful display out there girls." Histoire greeted us happily as we came back inside with the doors closing behind us. "I was expecting a less civil outcome but you managed to keep yourself in check and-"

"Three days? Come on Histy, we gotta get settled in, that's not enough time for us to get our stuff by ourselves! And what's the big idea using your little mind tricks on me in the middle of my big moment!?"

Histoire groaned at the affectionate nickname she had gotten and I could see her little smile fade into a stern glare. "Yes, three days. As Matriarch you're going to have to do things you don't like and making time to do such things is a skill you need to master. There is more to tending to a nation than taking care of fodder and if you can't do it in the allotted time then-"

"W-we'll get it done!" I chimed in, hoping to settle things down before things got too heated between them. "Come on Neptune, if we get packing now we should be done by tonight." With just the two of us...well, me really due to Neptune clinging to me, doing this work it might take even longer than that...

"That is the first of many concerns we must address. Neptune, would you mind going to the podium?" Histoire pointed towards the back of the main room and as I took a step spoke up again. "By yourself."

I stopped instantly and waited to see what Neptune would do. Just how exactly is she supposed to move around by herself? From the stories she's told me it sounds like the only way Slimes can move is by either bouncing around or sliding, neither of which sound easy with how big she is...for a Slime that is. "Uh..." She wiggled about in order to get off of me but only succeeded in almost taking me off balance. "Aha...ah..."

"Just as I thought." Histoire began floating over her book as it glowed, pages flipping intensely, and threw her hands forward. In that instant everything suddenly got cooler as Neptune and every drop of her purple goo slipped off of me into large puddle around my feet. "Hah...hah...that's...your...only freebie...mi..."

"Histoire!"

"Histy!"

We both cried out and I ran towards her while Neptune...inched her towards her but our concerns weren't needed as our Herald put her hand up. "There's no need to panic, I'm fine. It's just...been so long... Nepgear, would you mind getting started on your packing while I rehabilitate your sister?"

I nodded and decided to check myself for any remaining goo but I was still feeling funny. My clothes...were replaced by a wool-like vest that I hadn't noticed until just now, and my belly was completely exposed! That's what that strange cloth was this morning! I've somehow grown a wool skirt as well and-oh my goodness, I walked outside like this without knowing!? Even my striped socks were torn away and replaced my knee-high wool stockings! "Hist-"

A heavy knock at the door stopped me from crying out to Histoire, who was spending her time calmly talking to Neptune and showing her pages from her book. My becoming a monster is nowhere near as important as my sister getting back on her...er, maybe growing some feet back or something. I went to the door immediately and opened it to find a familiar short girl, with a strange hat and an stranger pair of gloves bowing to me. "My Lady, Gust is at your service."


	3. Chapter 3

_Oops, looks like I'm trying to do too many things at once. I suppose I need to hurry up and take care of business in the real world so I can focus on properly writing several of these possible WIPs. Regarding the story, sparks may fly but with who is a mystery (nah not really) and the deal with Nepgear and her sleeping habits will be explained much sooner in this remake._

* * *

"Um, Gust?"

The small girl looked up from her bow and stared at me blankly. "Oh, it is just Nepgear." Just me? Was my transformation so lackluster that she didn't even notice it? "Where is Neptune? Gust has very important business proposition." Aside from ignoring my change, this seems to be a little urgent but Neptune is busy trying to take her first steps again.

"She's a little preoccupied right now but I can hopefully take care of what you need." I tried to sound assertive and wanted to show off my monstrous features, but I don't think a fluffy outfit is going to help me much. What exactly am I supposed to be anyway?

"Oho? Gust was going to ask Matriarch if she required Gust's services, but with it being you and Neptune, Gust has an even better idea." She reached deep into the pouch on the front of her dress, farther than I thought possible given the size of her gloves, and pulled out a roll of paper and presented it to me. "Gust would like to get several facilities re-established for Planeptune."

"O-oh..." That does sound like something she'd need to personally discuss with Histoire and Neptune, so it might be best for her to talk it over with her after all.

"Gust would also like to renovate Basilicom with new experiment." She said with a smile that grew by the second. "Unlock your home and let Gust take care of the rest please." I had second thoughts on just letting her do as she pleased but if it sped up the moving process then it'd be pretty silly to not allow this.

I nodded and walked back home-our old home I suppose, and greeted people on the way there. Just like Gust nearly everybody acted as if there was nothing different about my appearance and it's kind of...disheartening actually. Neptune turned into a Slime, and that could be loads of fun with how creative she can be and judging by the things I've read, and I'm...a sheep or something. A boring, fluffy sheep-thing with no extraordinary features or anything...is this transformation a reflection of myself or did I get really unlu-"Oomph." I was so lost in thought, eventually staring at the ground, I bumped into something so hard that I actually recoiled a bit. I've managed to get home quicker than I thought but paying attention would've saved me from nearly knocking over this...woman that's waiting at our door? Bright pink high-heeled shoes with a matching a dress, long white stockings with pink trim, and a unique hairstyle that resembled an octopus from behind...I saw her out of uniform and didn't even bother saying hi yesterday. "Oh goodness, I'm sorry Compa! I wasn't watching where I was going...and..." She's completely motionless? She didn't even budge from where she was standing!

I inched closer, hoping that I didn't upset her, and got a good look at her face. Compa was staring at our door with such concentration that it seemed like she wasn't even breathing, much less blinking. I decided against pushing my luck bothering her and went for the door which to my surprise, easily opened. Neptune dragged me out of the house in such a rush I didn't even have to time to make sure the door was locked. "Good afternoon, Neptune!"

"Waah!" I jumped to the side at the chipper greeting I had received and saw Compa smiling at me with her medkit in hand. "Y-you startled me! Just how long have you been standing out here?"

"Um..." She took her free hand and put a finger to her chin as she thought the question over. "I can't really say. Did I miss something? There's something about you that seems...off. That and Neptune is the one who usually answers the door."

"Yes! I-I mean..." Now isn't the time to be getting excited over someone finally noticing me, Compa's probably been waiting for who knows long for someone to answer the door. I explained what happened overnight and the deal we made with Noire this morning. "...so I've decided to come back home to make sure Gust is able to get our belongings." It didn't take too long to fill her in on what happened and I invited her inside while I checked on things.

"Ooh, so Neptune's all nice and jelly-like now? That's so like her." I thought she would've been at least a little shocked about one of her patient's changing so much. "Since we're on the subject I may as well examine you. How are you feeling?"

"Yes, I've never felt b-ah!" I was on my way inside and to my room when suddenly a sharp pain shot through my left temple, sending me to my knees and clutching the side of my head. The room spun as I dropped even further down to the ground and writhed, doing my best to shake off this intense piercing feeling in my skull, as Compa calmly walked over to me and got on her knees with a smile. "Co-" I could barely speak, much less breathe, with all of my efforts going towards just staying conscious!

"Looks like someone's a late bloomer!" How could Compa say something like that in such a cheery tone!? "I think I may have just the thing for you, give me oooone second~" By now the pain had gotten even worse and gritting my teeth wasn't enough to help me endure it! I opened my mouth to utter her name but all I could manage was a pathetic gasp and watch as she frowned for a brief second. "Oh darn, I don't think I have what you need. Well, you said you were moving into the Basilicom so I'm sure you and your sister won't mind this method..."

"C...Com..." I felt a strong, clamping feeling on the back of my head as the floor moved further way and Compa's face came into view. This...this can't be her grasping my head like this, she's just a nurse...

"I'm going to need you to listen very carefully to me: pick a spot on the floor and really focus on it, okay? We're going to get that nasty horn out of you and get you feeling right as rain again." Wh-what? I have to- "As crude as this technique is it's all I can do for you, so please pick a spot and tell me when you're ready." I reluctantly pointed directly in front of me, nodded, and waited in pain as her grip tightened and she pulled me back a little. Is this...how she's going to end my pain and suffering? "Okay, focus all of your attention on that spot and ONLY that spot. No matter how fast or scary things get, think only of that spot with all of your might."

She adjusted her grip slightly and had my aching temple facing forward, as if she was going to...no, she couldn't, that's crazy! "Co-"

"Remember to focus on that special spot!" She giggled and without warning brought my head down at alarming speeds in an attempt to slam me against the floor!

I closed my eyes and wished all of this torture and misery on that stupid spot on the floor! It's all your fault that I'm going through all this, your fault that Neptune has been reduced to a pile of fun goo and why Planeptune has been suffering throughout the years! We've tried so hard to keep things afloat and we're only two girls, but we're working so hard to do our part to keep the people we know happy! I felt a small bump and heard a light thud but I continued venting at the small spot on the ground. I can't believe I'm trying to fuss at an imaginary spot on the floor, I've really gone off the deep end. Please, end it already Compa! "All done~"

"Huh?" All the pain was gone? I opened my eyes and while everything was sideways, I felt better. A LOT better actually and-hnnngh, and-hnnnngh! "Um...Compa? When you said horn did you mean a horn...from me?"

"Of course, silly. You're the only Weresheep around, who else has a horn around here?" She said that so casually as she pulled me out of the ground that I couldn't help but blurt out a rude a question after getting my bearings.

"Are you a monster too, Compa?" I didn't mean for it to come out like that, but after experiencing what felt like a combination of a vice grip and a short amusement ride, I couldn't help it. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me or anything, I-I'm just curious is all. Ehehe..." I think where Compa grabbed me hurt more than my where horn was growing now that it's over.

"I'm a vampire."

She answered with a smile. "A...vampire?" A few seconds passed when I finally remembered exactly what that was. When we were younger Neptune would pretend to be one and tease me about draining my 'cute' away, and the only way she'd stop would be if I 'end her' with a beam from a flashlight. But to meet a real one, one that's made quite a few visits to our home, was a shock I wasn't ready for.

For some reason I covered my neck and laughed a little, making Compa do the same as she turned her head for a moment. "Uh huh. See?" She turned back around and bared two...oddly cute fangs, the usual sign of a vampire according to my sister. "It feels nice being able to show someone my secret and don't worry, I have a special diet so don't worry about your blood." She stood up, brushed herself, and picked up her medkit. "I think I'll pay your sister a visit now. I was supposed to check up on her today and I won't stop until I do. Ooh, I can't wait to examine her gooey body~" Compa bowed and let herself out, leaving me alone in what my sister and I used to call home to tend to the debris that kept crumbling out of my horn.

I groaned and went straight to the restroom to check on my horn and I couldn't help but smile for some reason, ignoring my slightly messier hair. The base of it was a little thicker than I thought but it was tightly curled outward, like a spiral, and had a very sharp looking point at the end. I nearly caved into temptation and tried to see just how dangerous it was when I heard a faint knock at the front door. Passing up what might've been a bad decision I answered the door, only to be greeted by a group of miniature...Gusts? "Gust squad reporting for duty!" The one in the lead saluted me with a grin, followed by the other eleven behind her. "Awaiting direction from one Nepgear."

"Our rooms are through that hallway over there." I pointed behind me and the tiny Gusts were quick to shuffle past me in order to get to work. "If you'd like could you get Neptune's things first? Her room is on the left and when you get to mine could you be a little extra careful with the electronics?" I don't know what I'd do if those old things Neptune found got damaged any further than they already are. I almost got that ancient Tari thing working but I think I'm missing some pieces and wires. Not that it matters since I don't know what it does in the first place, but being able to tinker away at mysterious things like that has always been a blast for me. Just thinking about getting it to activate again is making me anxious to work on it some more. Ah, first thing's first though. "I'll be heading back to the Basilicom now um, Gust Squad! Be sure to bring Neptune's desserts too, they're labeled in the fridge!" I yelled some final instructions down the hall and decided to take my time on the way back to the Basilicom when something caught my eye shortly afterward.

I tried not to make it too obvious I was aware but there was a small shadow circling around me as I made my way home, which reminded me of Neptune's stalker. I tightened my fists and picked up the pace in hopes that I'd be able to get them to lose interest if I just went on like everything was normal. I've passed several blocks and that shadow was still looming over me, although it occasionally went away for a few moments before returning back to its patrol. I...I can't let this thing follow me all the way home! It's bad enough that we haven't been able to take care of Neptune's problem, and I was about to bring a new one into the equation! I don't know where else to go to though, I don't want to potentially endanger Gust and her shop, and I can't involve any of the people we've helped either. Wait, I shouldn't be running away from someone who's afraid to actually speak with me, I'm a monster girl now! I took a deep breath, relaxed myself, and was getting ready to call out whoever was following me when I noticed people were looking at me. The way everyone was smiling and waving at me felt...reassuring and a little different. Maybe it's because we finally have the power to make a difference for Planeptune and everyone is relying on us...

"I don't have a choice..." I muttered to myself as I put on a smile for everyone and greeted them back. Their faith in us was already strong to begin with, and I can't let something as simple as a stalker get me shaken up in front everyone. "Everything will be alright! Just leave it us!" I let loose a sudden rallying cry to wash away those terrible feelings from earlier and to make sure everybody knew they were in good hands, and continued showing high spirits until I finally arrived back at the Basilicom doors. When the time comes I'll have to take care of this problem, and if I have to I'll take care of Neptune's as well!

"Ah, our late bloomer has arrived." I sighed in relief as Histoire floated towards me with a smile. "Compa and another friend of Neptune's had arrived earlier and I was told that your horn operation was a success...to say the least. Hmm, would you recommend her services to patients?"

I get home and the first thing I have to do is answer to Histoire. Compa's method was pretty ruthless now that I think about it but it got the job done. I-I'm pretty sure she wouldn't scare a normal human with a technique like that...right? "Of course!" I said boldly, despite worrying over a silly situation just now. "Compa's been taking care of us for quite a while, and she's done everything she can to keep Neptune and I well."

"That's good to hear, I'll be sure to let her know after she's done unpacking."

"Huh? Unpacking? You mean..."

"Compa, along with your red-headed friend, will be making their new homes with us. Having a nurse living here would do the both of you a world of good with how busy you'll be getting, and Falcom, I believe she called herself, has been tasked with helping your sister get back in shape."

"T-two guests moving in already? Isn't that a little fast considering we don't even have our own belongings here?"

"I believed that at first as well," Histoire said in a surprisingly cheery tone as she hovered over to the podium to rest, "but Neptune was adamant about keeping friends close and even promised to be a hard worker. Eventually she won me over, somehow, and you'll be having roommates of sorts. If you'd like to speak with her yourself she's in the eastern wing working out with Falcom." I think she's actually happy Neptune pestered her into doing this.

I nodded and took a step towards Neptune's room when I noticed she failed to mention another friend of Neptune's. "What about Gust?"

"Gust? Ah, that Gust, she and Neptune spoke in private about improving Planeptune and left, constantly repeating 'busy' to herself on the way out. She did pause for a brief moment to tell me her experiment would making some deliveries back and forth, whatever that means, and I've been waiting here ever since."

"Ah, thank you Histoire." I turned to bow before going down the hall to Neptune's room and tried to decide on what I'd even ask her. That's strange, it's a little early for a nap and we don't have our stuff still...oh right, she's working out and probably doesn't want anyone to just walk in on her and her trying to walk of all things. "Neptune, I'm ba-"

The door shook with a loud thud, making me a jump a little, as grunts could be heard on the other side. "S-sorry Neptune, that was my fault! This is my first time, and with someone like you it's just-"

"Shush you. How am I supposed to get better at this when you just relax and go with it? It's nice and all that you're going easy on me but it'd be so much better if you made me work for it. Come on now, resist a little and make it fun, muhahaha~" It sounds like Neptune's already gotten used to her gooey body if she's able to roughhouse with Falcom like this. Although, this is a lot rougher than how she plays with me but I suppose she'd have to with the way she is now.

"Hah...N-Neptune please, had I known you were going to go this far I this fast I never would've-ngh..."

I listened intently as the pressure on the door was lifted and their voices lowered to whispers. I'd like to find out what exactly Neptune what thinking letting Falcom and Compa live with us, not that mind, and what she has planned with Gust concerning Planeptune's improvement. I lightly knocked on the door and let myself in to hopefully save our resident adventuress from her gooey fate. That and I'm curious as to what's going on in there... "Excuse me, Neptune, I...I..." I froze. What stood before me was definitely Falcom, but she was covered in a thin, purple film and was struggling with something on her chest. That wasn't exactly a problem since I went through a similar experience earlier this morning but...something very, very important was missing.

"What's shaking little sis? Ooh, is that the horn Compa scared out of you? Lemme see!"

Whatever Neptune said after that was muffled as my vision began to blur and the room slowly rocked from side to side. Dizziness washed over me as my focus turned towards the only other thing, or...person rather, in the room. "H-hi Nepgear, it's not what it looks like! Wait, you're not looking too hot. Did something happen on the way here?"

Falcom's head, lying on what I assumed was her jacket, spoke to me, before the entire room went black, followed by a sudden, rushing feeling...

* * *

_About Compa's special treatment, think of it like teaching a bird how to fly..._


	4. Chapter 4

_Man, the one time I wanted to knock one of these out early and I couldn't thanks to technical difficulties on the 's part. As you may have noticed some of the girls have had some...changes to their wardrobe, and that's usually for one reason or another. I'm a fan of several of the unused designs in various artbooks and decided to put a little spin on some of them to suit a monster girl. Noire is a great example, as going to what's outfit D in the book is what really helps her cut loose, what with not having to worry about a dress/skirt and all that. Neptune on the other hand will wear what she wants, how she wants to, at any given time (although keeping it simple works wonders for her. As for the monster changes, it was honestly hard to change Compa from being a Mummy because of her expertise with bandages, but Vampire also opens a few new possibilities and...let's just say that nurses have good synergy with monsters. As for the twins, I do have a pleasant surprise for those waiting for them to pop up, considering that they're both pretty iconic creatures in the world of Nin-er, Lowee._

* * *

"Nepgear! Hey, wake up!" I felt a soft, smooth hand tap my cheek while a familiar voice rang in my head. I slowly opened my eyes to see my sister looming over me, and I sat up to see she's somehow learned how to regain her human figure. She wasn't wearing anything except a blue, one piece swimsuit but I'm sure that was somehow a part of her too. "Man, you went out like a light when you saw Falcom. Like, you've been knocked out since yesterday rolling back and forth saying a bunch of stuff to yourself."

I wonder what I said in my slee-oh no, I probably offended Falcom fainting at the sight of her like that! I had no idea she was a monster as well, and she was living with us this whole time! As soon as I'm able to I'm going to find her and apologize for acting like that. Wait, am I in a bed? I looked around and saw that I was in the room I had found Histoire in with all of my belongings: several desks with small knickknacks Neptune's collected for me, a homemade workstation along with tools to match, and of course my square bed. "What all happened after that? It looks like the little Gusts did a great job of bringing our things over."

"Yup, the little things were real quick about it too. Histy popped in to tell us they had your stuff and we had them put everything in here as neatly as possible, then dragged you in here so you could rest your wooly head." Even though she was mostly purple I could tell she was smiling. "Well, not drag, as punishment for goofing off I had to get you in here all by myself but get this: it worked wonders and I was able to take on my lovely little shape and carry you all the way here." She folded her arms and nodded at herself and her accomplishment when she gasped and started...straining herself until natural colors returned to her body? "Sorry about that. Turns out walking around like this would freak out some people. You know, with the whole not having a Matriarch ruler and all that for a while so until the people get used to things I'm going to have keep up appearances. Speaking of which..."

Neptune skipped towards the door and disappeared beyond it for an moment, only to return while pushing a blushing Falcom towards me. We stared at each other in silence for what felt like ages until Neptune made some funny movements, causing Falcom to leap forward a little with a squeal. "Yah, s-sorry for the fright Nepgear!"

"What? No, I should be the one apologizing to you. It was insensitive of me to faint like that. I should've been prepared for something like that, especially after Neptune and I both became monsters ourselves." I smiled and got out of bed to shake her hand, but changed my mind and went in for a hug to both show her I meant what I said and to try save her from whatever my sister was doing.

"I do owe you an explanation though. We can't have another incident like this happening again, and well, I've missed being able to do this freely." She timidly pushed Neptune away from her, with her groaning in response, and backed up in order to give herself some space. Falcom closed her eyes and gently touched the thin choker on her neck, making strange symbols encircle it before a bright light from emitted from it. She gently lifted her head off her neck, leaving behind a harmless looking void, and held it closely to her chest. "I should've introduced myself as a Dullahan when you and your sister said it was alright for me to stay with you two but my nerves got the best of me. I hope you'll forgive me for keeping something so important a secret."

After Falcom bowed, all while smiling bashfully, Neptune slipped past her and made herself comfy on my bed before taking her turn to speak. "Don't think I've ever heard of a Dullahan before but that headless thing you've got going on is pretty cool. Hey wait, if you're a monster girl why haven't you been whomping monster butt with me?" It sounded like she was playfully accusing Falcom of something, but she also seemed genuinely curious.

"Ah, right, Dullahans are a special case of monster girls in the sense that we aren't all that common because of how we become one." That's one thing I don't really understand though. How does someone even become a monster girl? I can guess how one would become a Vampire, but a headless girl is beyond me. "I was exploring some catacombs far off the coast of Planeptune and had stumbled across a group of bandits defiling the innermost sanctum with a ritual of sorts. Needless to say I did my part and stopped them from completing their ritual...or tried to at least. I was busy with what I thought was the final bandit when the main culprit behind the sorcery completed it, and instead of their original target they used it on me, turning me into what you see before you."

Falcom sighed and offered her head to me, and I cautiously took her into my hands and cradled her gently against my chest. I suppose this would seem a little weird but after hearing about what she went through, and seeing her face relax in my arms, this is actually kind of...nice. "So I take it that's why you never made it known that you were a monster girl?"

"Yeah, after the incident in the catacombs I stopped adventuring for a good while. I had no idea what was wrong with me at the time and didn't want to risk hurting anyone I'd come across in the field. After a while I realized that I was nothing more than a Dullahan, but that still wasn't enough to get me back out there. I felt I was more suited for helping people for the time being so I taught people how to defend themselves should the need arise. That and it's not my place to do a Matriarch's work for her so..." She closed her eyes and readjusted herself in my arms. "Your wool feels really nice, Nepgear."

"Th-thanks..." I stroked her head and watched as she smiled and closed her eyes. I almost want to sit back down and not disturb her by moving but Neptune and I have a lot to do today.

"Hey whoa whoa whoa!" Speaking of which, she's sounding a little jealous. "If anyone should be nestling themselves into my sister's fluffy pillows it should be me!" She pulled me back onto the bed and burrowed her face right next to Falcom's in a huff. "At least learn to share, jeez!"

"What? But you-"

A very loud, stern 'hmph' came from the entrance of my bedroom and stopped me, Neptune, Falcom and her body in our tracks. "Ladies." We all turned our attention towards the vibrant Herald as she drew closer to us. "Getting to know each is all well and good," I could feel my sister getting ready to chime in but I covered her mouth for her own good, "but what about the task at hand? Yesterday was more than enough time for the both of you to get settled, especially with Gust and her...help. Even with the little mishap with Nepgear, th-"

My hand right sank into Neptune's face as she playfully let it pass through her so she could speak. "Oh quit scrunching up your pages Histy, we got this. We were just...doing some early morning bonding and getting my sister caught up." She jumped up and walked towards the door, past Histoire, signaling for me and Falcom to follow her. "All we've gotta do is go to Actua Forest, beat the stuffing out of the biggest things there, and basically scare the little ones into leaving us alone, right?"

"Actually," Falcom's body had motioned for me to give her head back so she could put herself back together, "I still need to train you a bit before you go back to swinging a weapon around. With how elastic you've become you may end up being a danger to those you protect. No offense, of course."

"Aw what? I'm all whole again and can walk on my own two feet!" She sighed dejectedly and slumped her way back towards us and patted my shoulder. "I guess everything is riding on your shoulders now sis, at least, for now anyway."

"Wh-what?"

"You're gonna scout ahead to Actua Forest, of course." I stared at her in disbelief at the thought of having to deal with whatever was out there all by myself. "Don't give me that look, have you forgotten who you are?" I shook my head, although I had no idea what she meant by that. "You're Neptune's sister, and if anyone has a knack for pulling through things it's you, you smartie you. And me of course. Besides, if the monsters were a real threat to us they would've overrun this place by now."

"Don't say things like that, you'll ji-wait, what'd you say?" I think I may have misheard her just now.

"I'm saying you'll be fine on your own for now. Seriously, just treat it like a scouting mission and if there's anything dangerous you come right back. I believe in you."

I immediately ran towards Neptune and gave her the biggest hug I could muster and picked her up while doing so. It's my turn to help her out with something big after all these years, and she has complete faith in me! "Oh Neptune, do you mean that?"

I might've been squeezing her a bit too hard but right now I didn't care! "Hrk...you mean the believing in you bit? Of..." She wiggled from my grasp and caught her breath. "Of course I meant it! What, I have to tell you the obvious? That you're an awesome little sister and the second coolest person I know and that if there's anyone out there I'd put my bets on it'd be you and that I love you with all my heart? If I said this stuff as often as you'd want me to you'd get sick of hearing me talk. Highly unlikely, but still..."

Aww, I think I caught a hint of her blushing before the color faded from her face again. If I'm the second coolest then I might have an idea on who's number one, but I want to hear her say it. "Who's the coolest person then?" I asked as innocently as I could, batting my eyes towards Neptune who was doing her best to keep her complexion.

"Me, duh."

I knew it! I was getting ready to go for another hug before Histoire floated in between us. "Can the both of you get serious about the situation at hand first? Neptune, are you sure your sister is capable of at least checking out Actua Forest? What if something happens? I'm sure the monsters there will-"

"Histy Histy Histy, let me spell it out for you. Nepgear. Can. Handle. It." Neptune looked past our increasingly irritated Herald and shrugged at me. "How many times do I have to say this today? Jeez..."

"To your room, Neptune!" By now Histoire had gotten fed up with my sister's shenanigans and flared up. "My name is Histoire, and you will start taking this mission seriously this instant."

"Fine...mom."

Neptune seemed just as annoyed but I think she knew she was no longer in a position to fool around, not with how bright Histoire had gotten by now. Surprisingly that 'mom' comment didn't make things worse and instead seemed to have calmed her down a little. Well, her glowing at least. As she was making sure Neptune was leaving my room she turned to give us a few last words. "I'd like a few words with our 'Matriarch', so please take your time Falcom."

I remained silent as she left, and turned to Falcom who was looking at me intently. She folded her arms as she continued looking at me in deep thought until she finally sighed in relief. "I think Neptune might be right about you. You've certainly got the look of a girl who can get things done if she puts her mind to it." She held her chin for a brief moment, then tapped her cheek in deep thought, and finally pounded her fist into her palm with an exclamation. "Quick, Nepgear, form a fist!"

"Um..." It can't be that hard, all I have to do is ball my fists up like this, right? I showed her my fists, repositioned my feet, and waited to see if I was doing this properly. I feel like I'm doing something wrong though, I don't think my thumbs should be like this...

She smirked and stepped forward to gently grab my hands. "You have the right idea but your thumbs need to be outside of your fist or else you'll end up hurting yourself. As for your stance I think it's best for you to find something that's comfortable for you. You're off to a great start but..." Her grip tightened. "...are you sure about this? You don't have much experience as far as I know and-"

"Now is a good a time as any to get some then, right?" I smiled and slowly pulled away from her. "I've learned a lot from just listening to all the stories Neptune's told me about her outings. I'm no slouch either, so I think I'll be able to get to safety if things get out of hand." It's my turn to be relied on, and I'm not letting her down. I might even be able to solve the problem with Actua before Neptune's even ready!

Falcom patted my shoulder on her way out, lightly shocking the both of us, and parted with some final words of encouragement before going to Neptune's room. "Keep your head high, and don't let that confidence of yours falter but don't let it get the best of you either. Don't worry about Neptune by the way, I'll make sure Histoire goes easy on her." With that she waved and walked away, leaving me prepare myself for my first trip out of Planeptune in...quite a while.

Oh no! "F-Falcom, wait!" I nearly forgot I had something important to ask her, and now that we're alone it's the perfect time to ask. She peered her head back around the corner with a confused look on her face. "Can I ask you something a little...personal?" She came back and leaned against the doorway with an increasingly worried look on her face, as if she knew what I was going to ask. "What exactly happened...on the night of those screams?"

Falcom's face went bright red and she clumsily folded her arms while trying not to look directly at me. After an awkward silence she finally spoke up, all while trying to keep still. "It was pretty late at night and I was looking forward to soaking in an extra hot bath without being an inconvenience to either of you. I was in a rush to hop in while drawing the bath water and...look, can we just say that whatever Neptune told you was true and leave it at that?"

She was ready to walk away but I shook my head and insisted that she go on. "She said she saw your 'goods'," she gasped and covered herself up, "but I'm more concerned with the screams that happened. What happened to you and Neptune?"

"Both of the screams were from me..." That's not possible though, both screams happened at the same time. "I...I was taking my head off and Neptune came bursting into the bathroom, scaring the living daylights out of me, and I panicked while it came off so..." Oh goodness, so her scream somehow got stuck in her body so it came from both it and her head?

"I-I think we should just go with what Neptune said. Sorry! I'll start getting ready to go now so um, good luck with Histoire!" I walked towards my desk and picked up my mecha-clock for some reason, trying to ease the tension of her embarrassing confession. She was probably more worried about me finding out about that than Neptune seeing her naked. Knowing my sister though she wasn't paying too much attention to the bigger picture...

"Y-yeah, I'll go do that..." I felt bad prying the truth out of Falcom like that, and seeing her quickly rush to the other side of the Basilicom didn't make things any better.

"I should apologize..." I actually looked at the time and saw that it was almost noon, which meant that I should probably head out now since I don't actually know how long this will take me. "...after I investigate Actua Forest, of course."

I put my clock aside and took a quick look around my room before confidently walking down my wing and leaving the main hall. "Ah, Nepgear!" After I listen to what Histoire has to say, of course. "I couldn't have you leave without a farewell. Please...be careful out there."

I smiled and motioned for the doors to open and slowly walked backwards, waving good-bye and parting with a brief nod. My hopes rose higher and higher as thoughts of everyone's praise filled my head as the Basilicom doors closed behind me, and I made my way to Actua Forest as I watched a lone bird fly there as well.

* * *

"That was quite the hike!" I wiped my brow and looked behind to see Planeptune far in the distance, along with other roads and uneventful scenery. Odd how there wasn't single encounter on the way here, monster or passerby alike. Just the sounds of normal animals roaming around, the wind in my hair, and the rustling of grass. Still...Neptune's gone back and forth along this very same path so many times but rarely entering...she must've been absolutely exhausted every time she's gone and done this. "Neptune..." Another gust of wind blew by, this time with the sound of whistling coming from the forest looming behind me. "...you wont have to do this by yourself anymore." I steeled myself and took my first steps into Actua Forest, unaware of what lurked within...

I don't know what I was expecting honestly, everything seems to be normal as far as the forest is concerned. Large trees as far as the eye could see, a few clearings here or there, small rock formations and what looked like resting places for whatever fauna lived here. That's the strangest part about all this exploration, I haven't seen any animals wandering around yet I can still hear that strange whistling from time to time and each time it got...closer. Whatever it is...it's after me. I can feel it.

"Sh-show yourself!" I cried out after running into a nearby clearing. If something was actually after me I'd rather be out in the open than get ambushed in the brush. A rustling nearby in the tree tops, starting from my right and making a commotion towards my rear. I fought every urge to turn and instead waited to see how things would play out. Suddenly what sounded like an explosion of leaves erupted behind me and I reacted as best I could, facing my attacker and rolling with the attack.

A young girl, with crimson eyes, with what looked like wings for arms, flew over me as I evaded her attack. After recovering I watched as she landed on her feet with grace and turned to face me with her tongue out. Her clothes were incredibly weird, which consisted of a simple short dress with a circular emblem on her chest, and in the brief twirl she performed I caught a glimpse of short spats and a holster beneath it. "Tch." She readjusted her long legs and stared down at me, as if she were ready for me to make a move. "Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into, sheep?"


	5. Chapter 5

_Leave it to Uni to get things off to a rough start. It's only a matter of time before a huge misunderstanding happens and who knows what will happen after that. Dialing it back a bit Nepgear is usually the one left behind when her sister goes out to help people, and after years of being left behind she can't help but be excited about being the one to be depended on. Don't worry, she'll calm down after a while and regarding Neptune's weaknesses...you could say that she isn't a fan of what Slime tend to avoid for the most part. As for Nepgear being swordless, this plan was a little sudden and her sister insisted that she's able to take care of herself without a weapon for now. Uni's holster is mostly for show since she has to flap and all that. Maybe one day she'll find a way to fly and shoot but...anyway, feel free to let me know if there's anything you liked or if you have a question._

* * *

"Well, do you?" The twin-tailed bird girl asked, getting increasingly impatient as she tapped her foot on the grass. "Of course you don't. How about you get out of here and let a real Mamono handle this?" She continued glaring at me, waiting for me to move, and put her hands on her hips as I took a step forward.

"As a matter of fact, I-" I stopped myself short after realizing I have no idea who I'm speaking with. I can't be bothered by some stranger right now but I can't just ignore her, especially when she easily fly and get in my way again. "Who are you and why are you trying to stop me?" I'll get straight to the point, and if she wants to prevent me from doing what I came here to do then...then...I tensed up and made fists in frustration at the thought of having to use force.

"Who I am is of no concern to you, sheep, and I'm doing this for your own good." She shifted her body and pointed directly at me. "You're a little too timid from what I can tell, but you're smart. That much I can tell from your little display yesterday when you finally noticed me."

I noticed her? I didn't meet any other monster girls besides Compa and Falcom, unless I somehow got a visitor while I was passed-no. No, it couldn't be! "You..." My heart raced as it dawned on me that SHE was the one stalking me yesterday!

"Yeah, I just said it was me. Look sheep, you need to-"

"Leave me alone." I can't believe I'm already confronting my stalker! What if she was also the one watching my sister from a while back? I wasn't prepared to bump into her until much later but if I can stop mine now that's just one less problem to deal with. I shuddered at the thought of actually standing up to her though because there's a huge difference between thinking of dealing with something and actually doing so, but I need to do this. "You leave me and my sister alone right now you...stalker!"

"How dare you accuse me of being a stalker! I've never even seen your sister, and I've only recently just flown in to Planeptune to see what all the fuss was about."

"Why couldn't you have spoken to me like a normal person then?" Any normal person would've just greeted me face to face and properly introduced themselves, not circle around them high in the sky like a vulture. "How can I believe you're not up to something when you can't even talk to me?"

"I..." She looked a little shaken up at my question and stopped to try to answer, but all she could muster was a bunch of mumbles and awkward gestures. "I don't have to answer to you! Now leave this place before it's too late."

Of course she wasn't going to answer me, I should've expected as much. Her saying 'too late' sent a shiver down my spine and I put up my fists. If she was going to threaten me I wasn't going to stand idly by and let her! "No, you leave! I'm here for a good reason and I'm not going to let some...scrawny bird-girl push me around!"

A few feathers flew off of her arm as she formed a fist of her own in a huff. "Wh-what did you call me!?" She took to the air and flapped furiously, glaring at me again with deadly intent. Those boots of hers look like they'll hurt if I let her get a good hit in... "Kyaaaah!" She was already through with words and wasted no time diving towards me feet first.

I put my left foot behind me and put my arms up to brace myself for impact. "Ah!" Her heel hit my forearm with alarming force and I instinctively reached out to grab her legs but I was too slow and barely grazed her ankle. "I can't, and won't leave!" I yelled as I tried chasing after her to stop her from making another pass at me. I jumped with all my might to try and catch her again but I failed and stumbled forward.

"Fool! What hope do you have against someone with real experience?" She said as she flapped even harder and flew out of sight above the tree tops. It was true that I was at a disadvantage, with this being my first fight and against someone with flight, but in such a cramped space she only has a few places to attack me from. That's going to be my only chance to attack unless I can figure out how to reach her, and fast. "You could've been spared a humiliating defeat had you just left, sheep, but you had to go and call ME scrawny! I'll never forgive you!" She cried out before falling silent, leaving me to wonder what angle she'd try to attack from.

"I'm the one who shouldn't be forgiving you!" I yelled back, trying to coax her out of hiding. My hands were shaking and I couldn't stop myself from looking around for possible openings in this clearing. I-I'm even having trouble breathing a little but I wasn't worried about who I was fighting anymore. It's as if...I'm enjoying myself and I can barely contain it! A rustling from my left alerted me and I got into position to counter as the bird girl came hurtling toward me, this time head first, but I was ready for her. Instead of taking the attack I got ready with a counter and lunged at her in an attempt to catch her while she was level with me.

"As if I'd ever let someone like you catch me, sheep!" She stopped abruptly by repositioning herself and flapping, sending a large gust of wind that blew me backwards. After stumbling back a few steps I looked around to see that she had gone into hiding once again. I knew there was no point in responding to her but I couldn't help getting worked up fighting this girl. I almost shouted out my name and thought against it, considering that if she got away she'd have more information on me and...ugh, I can't let lose my focus in the middle of battle! "Let me show you why were you better staying home, stupid!" I looked all over the place for where she could be coming from when another gust of wind blew down from above me, and a pair of legs wrapped around my waist from behind me!

"Hnngh! L-let me go!" Her legs were deceptively strong and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't pry myself from her grab. I reeled forward and struggled as much as I could as she hoisted me off the ground, but as she pulled me above the tree tops I eventually quit fighting her and gazed down at the vast, maze-like forest that spread out beneath us.

"You...hngh...have no business...being here..." The bird-girl's voice was incredibly labored as she struggled to stay airborne with me in tow, but she's still going on about me being somewhere I shouldn't. "Let...your sister...handle this!"

She's never met my sister yet she knows what's going on in Planeptune? Even if she's doing this for my own good she should know how important this is for us. As we hovered in mid-air I managed to twist my body around to look up and face my captor to calmly speak to her for a change. "I can't. She's busy and she's asked me to do something for her. As a younger sister I have to do whatever it takes to help her out."

The moment I explained myself her expression softened, but she refused to lower herself to the ground and instead began flying forward, forcing me to do the unthinkable. I reached up and grabbed her arms firmly, and watched as she panicked immediately. "Wh-what are you doing you maniac!?"

"You're not listening to me." I said as we plummeted back to the forest below. Her eyes widened in horror as we fell to our doom but for some strange reason I...trusted her, as crazy that sounds. Even with the way she went about following me I started to think she had good intentions, or else she would've let me go by now. I released her hands as we hit the upper branches of the trees and watched as she hysterically slowed our descent. I managed to right myself and land on my feet, but before I could properly get my bearings the bird-girl's legs tightened and her arms wrapped around me.

I couldn't get a good look at her, not that I needed to after things settled down because she was shaking violently on my back and I could feel...tears rolling down the back of my neck. I don't think even Neptune would do something as crazy as that if she were in my situation, and I can't believe I went through with it. This all probably could've been avoided had I not jumped to conclusions about her...

"I..." I don't think I can bring myself to ask her what her name is, especially after insulting her and nearly getting the both of us seriously hurt...or worse. "I'm sorry..." I tapped her leg to get her attention and to let her know that we've safely hit the ground. "I'm really, really sorry for calling you a stalker...it's just..." She probably won't believe a word I say with how adamant I was with accusing her of harassing me.

Without warning she kicked off my back and flew off through the trees without a word, leaving me all alone in a completely different part of the forest once again...for good this time. The only noise that could be heard in this otherwise dead silent forest was the sound of me walking through brush and tall grass, still trying to find out how to put an end to the encroachment problem. There were hardly any signs of monsters anywhere and I was beginning to think that going deeper into the forest without a map was a bad idea. I couldn't shake the horrible feeling of what I had done to that girl out of my mind and it only made things worse as I sat down near a tree stump to rest. It seemed safe enough to take a break here, and there was a nice beam of sunlight breaking through this part of the clearing to keep me warm.

"I think I messed up, Neptune." I muttered to myself as I looked up through the foliage. I've let this responsibility get to my head and it's ruined any chance I had at... "That was the first monster girl I met outside of Planeptune and I assumed the worst and now I'll probably never see her again. I won't be able to apologize to her..." I rubbed my eyes and shook my head at nothing in particular. Maybe I'll just lie down for a few...and take a little break...to...

* * *

It felt nice being able to rest for a few minutes to clear my head of what happened earlier. I'm completely refreshed and ready to take on this forest, and I'm not stopping until I solve the problem! And if I see that bird-girl again I'll do everything in my power to make amends and...what's that poking me? Something...soft and moist is poking my back along with strange sniffing sounds...almost like a dog. "Five more minutes..." I reached behind me and tried to gently push it away only to be greeted by a light pain in my hand. I immediately rolled over and opened my eyes to see a small, blue...thing, with a dog's snout and tail, biting me with playful look on its face. "Huh? Y-yaaaaaaaaaaah!" I panicked, jumping up and wildly swinging my hand around in an attempt to shake it off but it only clamped down harder to stay on. "Please get off of me you dog...goo thing!" What do I do!? If I keep trying to shake it off it's only going to hurt more and if I stop it might get a better grip on me before I can pull it off. "Get off of me, please!"

There was a rustling in the bushes nearby and I began panicking even more as the sound of panting got closer. Several other Dogoos, around five or so, came bounding out of the brush and watched curiously as their friend tried to make a meal out of me. "Bowoo?" I refuse to let something so cute stop me, not after I came all this way and hurt that girl!

"I said," The pain dulled as my irritation grew and let the Dogoo have it, "please get off of me!" I pulled my hand as far away from myself as I could, and slammed the adorable little beast as hard as possible onto my horn, splattering it with a quick yelp all over myself and in front of its audience. I-I don't know what came over me! "Oh goodness! Um, s-see? You should listen to monsters bigger than you or else bad things will happen." I said as I put on a smile, confusing myself and the horrified critters.

We stared at each other, completely motionless, until I heard a voice in the distance. "Hiiiyah!" My looking in the direction of that yell startled the Dogoos and they all went running in different directions, desperate to get away from me. What's done is done but I need to find out whose voice that is. That might be Neptune! No, I'm certain it's her, she must've dropped her training altogether and came running-er, bouncing after me. I ran as fast as I could through the increasingly thick forest and called out for Neptune.

"Neptune! Is that you?" I cried out, trying to hold back my smile as I got closer to noise. I saw a lot of blue things flying around in the distance and as I approached another one grazed me on its flight away from here. "Neptune!" I was right after all! "Oh thank goo-"

"Your mother and I have been worried sick about you!" I stumbled into a small battlefield, littered with blue liquid and multi-colored blocks, and tried to figure out what exactly Neptune was talking about. She folded her arms and and did her best to remain silent, but couldn't contain herself and dove towards me, knocking the both of us down onto the ground. "Seriously though, what's the big idea staying out all day and night? Histy wouldn't stop yammering on and on about the dangers of being out at night and I nearly wore myself out trying to calm her down."

"A-all day and night!? Y-you're joking, right?" That's impossible, I only lied down for a few minutes. At least...it felt like a few minutes, and it was such a good rest too... "Right? Th-"

"Shh!" She covered my mouth with a gooey hand and even put a finger over her own mouth to keep us quiet. After a few seconds of that she opened her mouth to speak but stopped several times before actually talking for some reason. "Oh good, Histy's still tuckered out. I couldn't even come out here right away because she was going nuts about you, Falcom was busy beating herself up over not doing more, and Compa's been in the kitchen for who knows how long. Speaking of food, you have a little something riiiight there. Say 'ah'."

The moment I opened my mouth she slipped her fingers in there and snatched out...a single, sturdy looking blade of grass. All of my attention was suddenly diverted to that stringy little morsel as everything else slowly became a blur. Neptune was saying...something, but I couldn't quite understand what she was going on about. Ignoring her talking I plucked it from her hands and popped it back into my mouth and-"D-did I just eat grass!?"

"Well it wasn't the green junk you always make me eat." Neptune said, getting up and extending a hand to help me stand. "Anyway, were you listening to me? Compa's stocked the kitchen, which is conveniently on my side of the Basilicom, and I'm pretty sure you're starving."

"I am, now that you mention it. What about the monsters?"

"Oh them? Turns out some of those blue dog things were getting a little too big and even wanted to expand their territory, so I beat them into a bunch of little pulpy versions of themselves. That and some funky block things tried getting in my way too, and you don't get in Neptune's way." She looked me up and down and smiled. "I was so right putting my faith in you. Look at you: camping, scavenging, and murdering woodland monstrosities! You're going to be an awesome co-ruler...unless...I'm next!" She spun in place and fell backwards into my arms like a typical damsel. "Oh woe is me, my little sister is a tyrant~"

"I-" I was going to play along with her little act but my stomach suddenly started growling-no, it nearly roared as I began to wonder just what Compa had in store for us back home.

"Aaah! It's already happening!" Neptune sprang off of me and laughed as she took a few steps forward. "Hey, race you back to the Basilicom! Last one back has to feed the other their food first!"

I couldn't pass up a chance to make my own sister feed me, not that I needed her to, but I also had no idea how much food Neptune could eat now thanks to her new form. I ran alongside her and we both laughed as we jumped and ducked through the tree branches, roots, and other things that got in our way until I got around to asking a very important question. "Um, Neptune?"

"Ha ha, yeah?"

I almost didn't want to ruin the mood by asking this but it's better to do it now before it's too late. "Where exactly is the way out?"

She shrugged, yet we continued having racing each other through Actua Forest, completely unaware of what lied ahead of us. Planeptune's encroachment problem had been solved, and I'm sure Noire will be back tomorrow to check on the situation. What about the Matriarch of Lowee and Leanbox? Will they pay us a visit a well or will we be the ones introducing ourselves to them, being the newest additions to Gamindustri? All I know for sure...is that we're really lost and really hungry!

* * *

_Don't worry, they'll make up really soon._


	6. Chapter 6

_After running around for what felt like ages our girls have finally made their way back home where an unexpected surprise awaits them. I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I writing it, because a new spin on this concept is really refreshing. Sure we'll still have introductions and farewell with first meetings but who is to say when that character will show up again? The old Mon Nepu's plot, while having a clear goal, went a little too fast for my taste and left some of the girls in the dust with no clear indication if they'd show up again. I'd like to change that with this Re;birth and I'll do my best to give everyone a proper chance in the limelight._

* * *

"Weeeeee're hoooooome!"

Neptune and I burst through the Basilicom doors and we were immediately greeted by a purple ball of light. "Neptune! Nepgear!" Histoire came towards me first, and her book nearly slammed into my chest as she reached up on her toes to give me a hug. "I was so worried about you, child! Why did you go off on your own!?"

"H-Histoire..." The poor woman is crying her eyes out. "I'm fine. I just...I just ran into a little something..." I have to choose my words carefully. If I went into more detail than that she'd probably have a meltdown, but that might not be enough to calm her down. "It was nothing serious, just one of the bigger monsters roaming around and I scared it off before taking a rest." That wasn't entirely an lie, although looking back I wish I hadn't jumped to such rash conclusions about that bird-girl. "Sorry for not returning immediately, I-"

"No no no, there's no need for you to apologize! I'm just happy that you're back." Her glow faded away as she looked me in the eyes before turning her attention toward Neptune, and I could see her soft expression turn into a stern glance. "You! How could you send your sister out like that!? She could've been hurt!"

"I told you Histoire, I'm fi-"

"You showed next to no concern as Falcom instructed you yesterday! What were you thinking!?" Histoire was furious and wasn't letting up but Neptune just stood there with a smile on her face.

"I was thinking my first big decision as a Matriarch was a good one." She stepped forward and got really close to Histoire continued talking to her calmly. "Sure she zonked out on what was supposed to be a quick look-see, but she's fine. If I didn't believe in her I would've made her wait for me, but she's a big girl and she can take care of herself." Neptune stopped to look around the room and put a finger on her chin. "So did Gust and her little thingies finish what I asked them to do?"

"I..." Histoire looked absolutely confused and rubbed her temples before taking a deep breath, and going along with Neptune without protest. "She said everything would be ready by tomorrow morning."

"Woohoo! I can't wait to show them off to everybody!" My sister, overjoyed by the news, skipped towards the podium and pointed towards the stained glass window. "Hey Histy, with us being the official rulers-wait, that doesn't sound right. With us being the ones in charge of Planeptune I think it'd be nice to change a few things, starting with this. Wouldn't you agree?"

She looked directly at me with a smile and I quickly nodded in agreement. Anything to get Histoire's mind on something else so she'll calm down. "That would be nice, but I don't think we should completely get rid of..." I trailed off as I remembered that it was this woman that threw everything into chaos ages ago!

"Arfoire..." Histoire said in a calm manner as she floated towards Neptune. "Yes, this is Arfoire-was, rather, before-"

"Before we came along!" Neptune interrupted her with a cheerful exclamation. "What's done is done and getting sad about the past isn't going to do you any good. There were good times before whatever happened, happened, right?" Histoire nodded. "Then focus on that instead of the bad. Would old Arfoire want to see her Herald moping around like this? Of course not!" Neptune was on a roll and pointed above the stained-glass portrait of Arfoire. "As the new and hip leader I request that you replace her with me and my sister and put her..." She scanned the room all over over before settling for an area near where she originally started. "...above us! It'll be like she's watching over us and seeing her will constantly remind me-I mean us, to not goof off. Think of it as something really artsy and deep or whatever."

"More like a reminder for you, Neptune." Histoire replied with confidence as she glowed dimly. "To think that someone like you is capable of such consideration. This may take me a while but I believe I can do this without the aid of Gust." She raised her arms and a low hum emitted from her body until she flickered for a moment. "Ah! I nearly forgot something extremely important, excuse me."

As Histoire flew down to Neptune's wing my sister focused her attention on me. "So what exactly were you doing back in Actua Forest that kept you out all day and night?"

"I...took a nap..." Why did I answer her so quickly? Oh no, she's getting even closer and I can feel my face turning red!

Neptune got on her toes and put her face as to mine as she could and whispered as quietly as she could. "Tell me your secrets."

"Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me! As your older sister I have a right to know how you pulled off this feat." She looked around to make sure no one, Histoire in particular I bet, was around and kept talking. "I get the feeling I'm going to need all the sleep I can get with Histy around. Now get to talking, how do you just pass out like that?"

"I didn't just pass out, I..." I don't want to say what I did before that, I think I've already beaten myself about that enough and I can't have Neptune doing the same. I'm at the point where I'd give almost anything a chance to set things right with that bird-girl...

"Thank you for letting us stay here on such short notice, Histoire." That voice, it couldn't be! Histoire had come back to the main room with none other than the Lastation Matriarch in tow, who had been smiling smugly towards us since she's been in view. "Surprised to see me so soon?"

"You!" Neptune and I both cried out, with her dramatically pointing towards Noire and saying what we both thought. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to greet a fellow Matriarch?" Noire flicked one of her twin tails aside, put her hands on her hips, and explained herself. "It looks like our staying in one of the hotels nearby was a smart idea, as usual. It's saved us a trip and my own little one has been a bit shaken up so it was for the better." My own little one? Does this mean Noire has a little sister too? "Anyway, I had a feeling you wouldn't disappoint and you lived up to my expectations...not that they were high begin with." That last comment of hers was said with such arrogance that even I got a little upset at her, and I think it showed. "Th-that was a joke! Come on you to, lighten up..."

I was a little wary about letting a comment like that slide about us, even as a joke, but Neptune was quick to put it behind her and walked towards the other Matriarch. She took her steps slowly and carefully, and I noticed that with every step Noire's tail twitched a little. "Looks like our kitty cat is more impressed than she's letting on." My sister boldly stepped up to Noire and shortly after I could hear a low growl but it didn't seem like she was upset.

"Tch, don't let what you think you heard get to your head. I was just...thinking it was time to introduce my younger sister." Noire quickly stepped back towards Neptune's side of the Basilicom and called out down the hall. "Uni!" My heart raced as we waited for Uni to arrive, and I couldn't stop wondering on what kind of monster girl she was. She could be anything, and she isn't necessarily going to be like her sister if me and Neptune are anything to go by. To have a friend, another monster girl at that, at my age would be a huge relief and I could improve myself as a person for when I bump into... "Neptune, Nepgear, Histoire, I'd like to introduce you to my younger, Harpy sister, Uni."

"...that bird-girl again." My thoughts escaped my lips as the crimson-eyed, winged girl came into view, with the saddest look on her face. I...fought with a Matriarch's little sister...for absolutely no good reason whatsoever... "I..." She was covering herself up as well with her wings and did her best to not even look in my direction. "I'm so sorry!" I blurted out, making everyone but Uni look in my direction. "I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up already..."

Neptune and Noire shared glances with each other, then looked at us before beginning an impromptu double interrogation. "You two have met before?" I spoke without thinking and with what I had already done to Uni, the last thing I needed to do was embarrass her in front of her sister. "Uni," Noire spoke up with a stern voice and placing a hand on her hip, "does she have anything to do with how you were acting when you came back?" She remained silent and Noire smirked to herself. "Fair enough, I had plans for the two of you anyway."

"Whoa wait, are you playing matchmaker behind my back?" Neptune finally spoke up and broke the tension that was beginning to rise. "I'm not having any of that, especially if I don't have a say in the matter!"

"Wha-? Neptune!"

"I'm not talking about that you gelatinous fool! What better way to help your sister learn what it means to be a Mamono than with someone her own age? It will be a learning experience for the both of them, especially since this is Uni's first time leaving Lastation. Ah, our ant would be proud to see her getting a taste of the real world." Noire's glare softened to a smile as she mentioned what I think was supposed to be aunt, but quickly snapped back to her senses and looked at Neptune. "As for you, we're going to have a long talk about organizing paperwork, setting up schedules and appointments, and all the other things that come with being leader of a nation."

"Wha-? Nepg-" Neptune, crying out like I did just a moment ago, stopped herself short and fled to Histoire, who watching from atop the podium. "Histy!"

"I believe it's for the best, Neptune. What better way to get information like this through that soft head of yours than by a fellow Matriarch? Things have changed in all the years I've been asleep and we would be in bind if my outdated information endangered us or our people." Even from here I could see she was relieved that someone else was willing to deal with my sister. She clapped her hands and pointed towards Neptune's wing. "There's no need to pout, you'll be making your own decisions soon enough. As for you two," Histoire turned her attention towards us, "I suppose you're both free to do as you please until Compa is finished."

Until Compa is finished with what? I wanted to ask just what she and Falcom were doing but seeing Uni standing in front of me, still avoiding eye contact, made me think twice about my priorities. As our older sisters left the room I scratched my head and shifted around in place. "Do you...want to go to my room?" Of all things to ask...

Uni's eyes locked on to me the moment I said that and I froze in place, afraid that I had somehow offended her again. She readjusted her arms and took a few silent steps towards me until she was within arm's length. "Lead the way."

I have a chance to make things better after all! Sure she didn't sound too enthusiastic about it but the fact that she willing to join me was more than enough. Without thinking I grabbed her by the hand and quickly led her to back to my room, and spun around as soon as we stepped inside. "I'm so sorry about what happened in Actua Forest! I-"

"Did you really drag me all the way back here to bring that up again?" Her brow furrowed as she glared at me and I shook my head furiously in response, trying desperately to find the right words. "Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot but as soon as I heard Planeptune's Matriarch had a little sister around my age I...may have gotten out of hand with trying to meet you."

"Why didn't just greet me normally?"

"You-" She moved to the side in a huff and threw her arms in the air. "Do we look normal!? I've never even spoken to anyone besides our ant and Noire...I just..." Uni sighed heavily at the little workstation I had set up near the window. "How was I supposed to know? I just did what felt natural..."

"Then let's start over!" I said excitedly as I ran towards her and extended my hand. "I'm Nepgear, and I'm truly happy to make you my first real friend." A clean slate. That's all I'm asking for so we get off on the right foot.

After a few seconds of alternating between staring at my hand and face she firmly shook my hand. "And name is Uni. Try not to sound so desperate, shee-uh, Nepgear, it doesn't...suit you." Uni looked as if she was going to smile but turned away from me and started fiddling with my little screwdriver cup holder. "So you like to tinker or something?"

She's already trying to talk about my most favorite hobby? I-I don't know what to say! "I like to tinker with things." No, she just said that! "I-I mean, I try to repair or modify things my sister finds on her outings, like this clock I refurbished." I looked around my entire room and saw my mecha-clock resting on the nights stand near the head of my bed, on the opposite side of the closet. "It might not look like much but after taking apart several other things I got it back in working order. I tried my best to clean it up as well but some of scratches and dents just won't leave, but I think that gives it a little charm."

"Hm." She motioned for me to hand her my first working piece and I did so without hesitation and watched as she inspected it. "Not bad...but it isn't all that great either."

"Oh..." Well, I didn't expect her to like it in the first place. That mecha's face is pretty chipped and I think its little antennae is missing...or whatever the V thing on its helmet is.

"I mean, it isn't all that great because the...the metal isn't all that great! No, I mean, it'd be a lot better if you didn't use junk. N-not that the stuff your sister finds is terrible, it's just that..." Her voice trailed off as she stumbled trying to find a proper way to explain herself but I think I get what she was saying.

Before I got the chance to stop her there was a knock on my door and Compa peeked around the corner. "The door was open but I didn't want to be rude. I thought you and Neptune would be really hungry when you got back so I made plenty of rice, among other things. Help yourself to as much as you want, and that goes for your friend too, um..." She smiled and pointed past me.

"You can call me Uni, Ms. Compa." She immediately stood up to bow, making Compa giggle as she shook her head.

"There's no need for formalities, just Compa is fine. You should hurry up before Neptune gets to the food, if I remember my monsters correctly she's more than likely going to eat it all up."

As we left my room a thought crossed my mind and I stopped, letting Uni know it was fine to go ahead and waited for her to get out of sight. "Compa, you know a lot about monsters gi-er, Mamono, right?" She nodded while looking at me curiously. "I was wondering if there was something wrong me. Ever since I've become a Weresheep it feels as if I'm having trouble with my sleep. Well, waking up to be specific."

Compa giggled and poked the wool on my chest. "It's all in your fluffy stuff. Weresheep have a strange powder stored in their wool that acts as a sleeping agent. With you still getting used to your body you're accidentally producing more than you should, and it's having a negative impact on you." She backed up and started walking around me, looking my body up and down, as if she had plan in mind already. "I can't really give you any advice on how to control it but I can make it to where you won't have to worry about it for a while~"

Goodness, when Compa starts talking about things like this she gets really into it. "Of course! Anything that will help me get my sleeping schedule back on track." I was on board with the idea until I remembered what happened last time when I needed help and a chill ran down my spine. "O-on second thought, I think I'll just try to-"

"Nonsense, you're letting your nerves get to you!" Compa said happily as she clapped her hands together. I almost don't want to deny her a chance to help but...I'm not sure what she has in store for me and I fear for the worst. "Close your eyes." I'm immediately regretting bringing this topic up but I'll do as the nurse says. My heart raced as her cold hands got a firm grip on my waist, and before I had a chance to react I was suddenly spinning in place. I felt something incredibly light slide around just under my chest and above my waist before she grabbed hold of me again. "Aaand done!"

I opened my eyes and after everything stopped rocking back and forth I looked down to see that two rings of wool were cut and were resting on my hips, exposing even more of my belly! "C-Compa!" This overwhelming feeling vulnerability had me constantly trying to pull up what was taken from me, but it was all in vain.

"Hehe, it's better to get it done with quickly or else you'll have second thoughts." There was a certain...look, in her eyes as she reached down to rip my excess wool away with a quick tug. "That's less sleepy fluff for you to worry about and you look even cuter now. You have such nice skin too...it would be a shame to not show off a little and I'm sure Neptune and your new friend would appreciate it. Ooh, now I'm suddenly hungry! I'll see you at the table!"

Compa waved good-bye, with wool in hand, leaving me to my thoughts as I adjusted to the new me. Even with things being slightly colder I smiled as I walked towards the other wing and hoped that Neptune wasn't already devouring everything that's been prepared. I'm pretty sure she isn't willing to talk about that surprise she mentioned earlier, especially while she's eating, so I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow and see it along with everyone else. Just what has she and Gust been up to?


	7. Chapter 7

Compa made so much food last night I'm surprised we were able to eat it all! It was really quiet with just me, her, and Uni eating but things started to pick up when Falcom sat herself at the table and introduced herself. Uni and I were in awe as Falcom told us about her more harrowing adventures, the ones that involved using more of her monstrous abilities, while sparing us the gritty details. Things got especially interesting when she started talking about her time in Lastation, making Uni barrage her with question after question of what it was like around her nation until our older sisters arrived. Poor Nept-wait, what's that noise? It sounds familiar...I could've sworn I heard that high-pitched, robotic beeping before! I sat up and rubbed my eyes and looked in the direction of the noise to see my mecha clock lighting up and vibrating gently. "It's morning!" I threw my sheets aside and sprang out of bed to excitedly trying to turn the alarm off. "I have to thank Compa for this!"

I carefully put the little figure down and ran out of my room, towards the Neptune's side of the Basilicom, when something caught my eye on the wall in the main entrance. Arfoire's stained glass window was replaced by a slightly taller, wider one that had a picture of me and Neptune in a similar style. I was below my sister and had my arms stretched away from us, gently holding a diamond shaped crystal of sorts, with a solemn expression on my face. Neptune, on the other hand, was looking absolutely majestic as she prayed above me with her eyes closed. Even higher above her was Arfoire, who was looking down on us with a sad smile as her white hair flowed into what eventually became a light blue and purple background for us. A faint yawn brought my attention back to my level, and I saw Histoire rising from her book while stretching on the podium. "Ah, you're up early Nepgear. It looks like Compa's treatment worked wonders for you."

I smiled and nodded. "This is the best I've felt in a while. I have the entire day ahead of me and I have her to thank for it. That and I wanted to catch Uni one last time before they went back to Lastation." That isn't really fair to Histoire though, she must've been up all night after dinner changing this picture, and I didn't even making time or even thanking her. "Seeing this new picture reminded me of something I've been wondering ever since I've read about her. If you're ok with my asking...just what was Arfoire like?" The books I've read only ever mention how everything went to ruin when she started taking control of everything, but I'm sure she didn't start out like that. She couldn't have, there's no way those people and Histoire would've allowed someone like that to be their Matriarch.

"Arfoire..." Histore said in a low tone as she and her book lifted off of the podium. "...was a very kind soul. It was her kindness that brought the nations together back then and fought back the monsters of old. Fortunately for us the most dangerous creatures were either defeated or sealed away, leaving behind only what would be considered fodder in the past. After that ordeal was taken care of celebrations were had, and that's when things began to change...for the worst. Her long, lustrous hair slowly withered away, her skin turned pale, her once regal attire was replaced by darker colors and spikes, among other things..." She took a moment to sigh and wiped a tear from her eye. "...she even began using excessive amounts of make up, all while getting more and more paranoid about... Forgive me, I started to dwell on 'the bad', as your sister would put it." She cleared her throat and stood up with a determined look on her face. "Rest assured I will do everything in my power to make Neptune doesn't follow in her footsteps."

"There's no need to worry about that, Neptune's a good girl and-"

The moment I mentioned her name we heard a loud shuffling come from the other wing and looked to see my sister groggily walking towards us. "Uuugh..." With each heavy step she drew closer, her color fading away slightly as she was wearing a white one piece swimsuit this time, and her words got a little clearer. "Too...many..." She clutched her stomach a few times and when she finally got close enough she lunged at me, grabbing on to my shoulders and pleading with me. "Too many words! Never leave me alone with Noire again! I've learned far too much for my own good..."

"It couldn't have been that bad. You just lear-"

"You don't know what it was like! I barely got any sleep and to make matters worse I barely got any dinner last night! I got a few bites and Noire was already dragging me back to my room, and no one helped." Neptune tried pouting but she barely had the energy to stand on her own two feet and instead sat down on a nearby pew. "Oh, morning Histy. As soon as I get something sweet in my stomach I'll properly thank you for that awesome mosaic of us."

"Where is Noire anyway?" I wanted to say good-bye and to thank them for dropping by.

"She and her sister were early birds and flew the coop when the sun was barely up. It's a shame too, even though Noire wouldn't stop talking I think I might miss her...maybe." Neptune once again grabbed her stomach and walked towards the podium. "Histy, if I don't make it tell my sister...tell her ababaaa..."

"Abababa?" Histoire ignored the fact that my sister was exhausted and looked absolutely confused at what she just heard.

"It sounds like one of my patients is in trouble!" A chill ran done my spine as a cheery voiced echoed throughout the main room as Compa, in her nurse outfit with a large bag with a hearty-C on it, came rushing towards at a brisk pace. "I knew today would be a busy day, although I didn't expect I'd be taking care of anyone this early. Come on now, how are you going to lead your people when you're completely drained like this?" She pulled out what looked like an ordinary bar of chocolate, unwrapped, and fed it to Neptune with care. "I'll let this incident slide once because it couldn't helped, but don't ever let yourself get this low on energy again. Sweets are nice for a quick picker-upper but you need to maintain a proper diet and please try to get in contact with some willing individuals for that quirk of yours. We can't have our Matriarch going around doing...well, you know."

Without another word Compa bowed to us with a smile and went on her merry way to work. Neptune on the other hand was making strange noises and jumped out of her seat and behind the podium, and instantly changed into her normal hoodie outfit. "The things a girl's gotta do to get some food around here! Anyway, since you're both here you can join in on my little announcement. Behold!" She slammed her fist onto the top of the podium, and after a few clicking noises a hatch opened just in front of it revealing a strange looking camera. "Histy, I know it might asking a lot but could you do me a favor and step outside for a bit? I need another set of ears, Falcom's room is locked tight, and I need to get Nepgear up here with me for this."

"What exactly am I going outside for?"

"I just need you to tell me how good the broadcast is, that's all. As for you, dear sister," she said, grabbing me while Histoire went outside, "I need you to make a good first impression for your TV debut."

"Wait, my what!?"

I looked down and saw a bunch of buttons and levers that I'm sure didn't belong on a podium, and tried to get away from Neptune as she pushed a large button labeled 'Live'. "Greetings my fellow Planeptunians! This is your Matriarch speaking with a very special announcement: the encroaching monster issue has been settled and it's thanks to yours truly and the cutie you see standing next to me."

This is what Neptune and Gust were working on in secret!? I didn't see any super sized TVs on the way home yesterday but I was so happy to be out of Actua Forest that I just wanted to...does this mean that everyone can see me right now? Wh-what do I say!? I don't have a speech prepared and all I did was slack off while Neptune did most of the work. "G-good morning, Planeptune!"

"That's your Nepgear! But I didn't install all these TVs for my own sake, we plan on spicing things up by doing something that hasn't happened in looooong time. Get ready, because we're going give and t-t-I mean import and export more things from Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox!" Histoire must've been behind that correction, although that does sound a lot more formal than 'give or take'. "I know I gave Lastation's Matriarch a lot of guff when she first arrived, and I'd like to avoid that with the Lowee's and Leanbox's. And what better way than to personally meet them face to face and extend a helping hand or gift? I know it's sudden but let's look forward to a brighter tomorrow and more friendly faces! Oh, and if anything comes up don't hesitate to ask our good friend Falcom and our little caretaker Histoire." She twirled her finger and hit the 'Live' button again, flipping the board to reveal a blank slab of wood and made the camera retract into the ground. "Phew, pretty good for no rehearsal. Now where's Histy?"

"What in the world were you thinking dragging me into your...your commercial without even a warning!?" My heart is still racing at the thought of hundreds of people watching me make a fool a myself.

"It's more than a commercial, it's an important message from the Matriarch. I can't just waltz around Gamindustri trying to win over the hearts of others without letting my own people know. That's just rude." Either Neptune is as nervous as I am about her plan or she's completely confident she can befriend all the other Matriarchs easily. It's happened before in the past and Neptune is pretty easy to get along with, I mean, she's managed to convince a wandering adventurer to settle and the one of the best nurses in Planeptune to live here, so...so maybe she can do this as easily as she thinks. "Hmm, I hope those TVs weren't too loud. Then again, could you imagine my voice being the first thing you heard in the morning?"

I don't need to imagine that when she personally woke me up while we were growing up. I kind of miss that and wouldn't mind that happening more often but she's probably busy with things she wants to do and things Histoire needs her to do. "That was quite a surprise indeed, Neptune." I didn't think she'd be so quick coming back in and...who's that following her? "While I would like to reprimand you for concocting a plan to travel to the other nations without consulting me, you have a guest that says she's from Leanbox and I trust that you'll treat her with the utmost respect." She bowed and floated towards my wing with a yawn. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to rest."

Neptune pulled me aside and brought my head down to hers and spoke in a whisper. "Nepgear, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Um, a woman from Leanbox?" I'm not one to judge someone's fashion but this woman's outfit was truly something. Her dress was mostly white and had a large slit on both sides, revealing lace-like stocking that went all the down to her large, green heeled boots. Her stomach was exposed thanks to the triangular hole in her green and white trimmed blouse. What rounded this outfit out however were the long, white gloves she wore nearly went all the way up to her shoulders, and the light blue and green cloth that draped off her waist. "Why are we whispering anyway?"

"I dunno, but look at them!"

Oh. Neptune was talking about the woman's chest. "What about them?" They weren't anything out of the ordinary outside of being extraordinarily large and being firmly tucked away in her blouse. "You aren't...jealous, are you?" You're fine the way you are, but I think she'd be even more concerned hearing that from me.

"What!? No, of course not, not at all, maybe. Look, I know that you know what happens when you see a classy lady and a slime in the same room."

"N-no I don't! I only read your comics while you're out or when I'm extremely bored! And even then it's-"

"Shush, I can't blame you since the art is super cute but uh...let's say my quirk is sort of related to that..."

"You mean...?"

"That it's healthy that I get a little 'friendly' with people? Just a little face to face, like this, would work for me. Sadly just you and Falcom aren't enough and Compa doesn't count because she's not warm enough."

A wave of warmth washed over us, followed by a gentle voice. "My my, could it be that Lady Neptune wants to get fresh with me? Hmhmhm, we've only just met and already you're captivated by my beauty." Neptune and I both jumped backwards and turned to see that the blonde woman joined in on our little huddle. "Sorry for alarming you, I was just growing bored waiting to speak and my curiosity got the better of me. It's a pity though, as I already have my eyes set on someone else."

"It's our fault, we should be the ones apologizing to you." I bowed repeatedly, using that motion to cover my attempts at cooling off. Why did it suddenly get so warm? I was nearly breaking a sweat... "Please excuse us for ignoring you Ms..."

"Oh there's no need for that, just Vert is fine." She stood upright, arms folded and accentuating her chest, and looked down on us with a smile. "I'm not one to normally get in between two cute sisters such as yourselves but I couldn't help it."

"I'd like to get bet-" Neptune nearly blurted outside something rude but stopped to fan herself off. "Scratch that, I'd like to take this chat somewhere else before I end up melting! I know just the place too!" Neptune ran towards her wing and signaled for the both of us to follow and led us straight into the kitchen. I'm still amazed at just how many things were in here: large cabinets and drawers lined the wall to our left with a massive sink near the corner of the room, but what put a stop to them was a white, two door refrigerator that sat firmly between them and what I think was a freezer. As Vert and I sat at the long table Neptune opened the freezer and leaned over it, making all kinds of noise while singing in search of something. Is it me or is did the heat follow us in here too? "Let's see...pudding, pudding, more pudding...aha! A pint of good old strawberry ice cream is just as good!" Neptune skipped towards us blindly and came to a complete stop when she opened her eyes to take a seat. "Riiiight, you guys probably want some too..."

She gently put her pint down and ran back to the freezer without even waiting for us to speak. "I'm fine, I'm not quite hungry yet." I wouldn't mind some ice cream bu-what the goodness!? The ice cream Neptune put down looked like it was already melting! I couldn't believe my eyes and grabbed it to inspect it farther, but I didn't put into account the fact that it was softer than I thought and used just a little too much strength and ended up almost making it spill out over the top. "Eheh, guess I'm still getting used to this mo-I mean, Mamono thing." I tried playing it off with Vert but her arms were folded once more, with her eyes were shut, and she looked like she was deep in thought. So deep in fact that her eye brows were twitching occasionally and her finger tapped against her arm rhythmically.

"Seriously? You can't deny any of your urges Nepgear, or you'll end up going crazy...kind of like how you are now." Neptune sighed and went back to the freezer and dug up a third pint of ice cream and brought several spoons too. "You're lucky we're well stacked-I mean stocked! We've got plenty of stuff to cool us off but that doesn't mean you can just smoosh it all willy nilly."

While she came back with our early desserts I grabbed several napkins from the center of the table and clean up the mess I made, and I noticed that things had gotten noticeably cooler. "Hah..." Vert sighed and picked up her share. "Is this a normal...diet for the Lady and her sister?"

I stayed silent and got to work on eating my share while watching Neptune put the remainder of my mess back in the freezer. "Nope, it's usually just mine. Well, it's kind of a little pre-victory snack before we head to Leanbox."

"Ah yes, your plan to...what was it? Meet the other Matriarchs face to face?" She smirked as took alarmingly large helpings of ice cream with every scoop she took. "What do you plan on doing if you meet them?"

Neptune must've noticed how Vert was eating as well and tried her best at outdoing her for some reason. "Well you see...mmm...when I meet them," she put strong emphasis on 'when' while taking another large scoop, "I'll charm them with my good looks and awesome attitude. If worse comes to worse I'll use sister as a last resort!" Vert giggled again as I watched in continued silence. "And I guess I'll actually try to strike a deal with them or talk with them or something...come on Nepgear, back me up here."

"I'm honestly wondering what you had planned. We've only just solved our own problems here and-wait, we're going to Leanbox first?"

"We're going to Leanbox today."

"I-isn't this going a little too fast? Did you even tell Histoire? What about Vert?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing! She's already planning on heading out to unite the nations?

"Hmhm, don't worry about me, Nepgear. This actually works out in my favor. Word spread quickly about your coming to power and you could say I'm here on behalf of Leanbox."

"You came here on behalf of your Matriarch to see what was going on." Neptune said with a waggle of her finger. "It's pretty obvious that someone like you would be close to her, what with your fancy clothes and your rockin' bo-"

"If we're going to Leanbox, shouldn't we be heading out by now?" I chimed in, stopping my sister from making another lewd comment. If Vert is working for the Matriarch wouldn't be wise to say those kinds of things, although I'm sure gets compliments all the time...proper ones anyway. "We should probably tell Histoire that we're leaving as well." I suggested she at least do the right thing concerning our Herald as I gathered our empty pints and spoons. Our appetites are truly something to be able to finish these off in one sitting.

"Naaah, wouldn't want to wake her up from her power nap. She needs it after making that mosaic of ours, and-oh that's right!" Neptune stormed out of the kitchen and knocked on a nearby door. "Heeey Falcom, can you do me a favor? We're about to head out and I was wondering if you could watch the place for us. You will? Thanks, I owe you one! Be sure to tell Compa what's going on too. Later!" She came sliding back into view, pointing towards the main entryway with a big grin on her face. "To Leanbox! Vert, would you do us the honor of being our guide?"

"With pleasure. I must say things are getting more excited than I had anticipated." Vert patted my shoulder and led me and my sister out of the Basilicom. As we made our way through Planeptune we were greeted by a rousing applause and cheers of good luck from nearly everyone we passed. It seemed like even more people were here as several buildings were being renovated, likely due to news of Planeptune being safe under the eyes of Neptune and myself. Histoire aside I have a really good feeling about this: not only because we have the support of our people but also because I'm personally going to be helping Neptune! I just wonder what Leanbox is like, they couldn't all be as...big as Vert is, right?

* * *

_Putting notes at the beginning would've potentially spoiled a big point in this chapter, although it's still pretty vague as to what Neptune has planned for the other Matriarchs. It's a pretty crazy idea just up and leaving Planeptune after just asserting control over the immediate region, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, to put it in Neptune's words. If there's too much going on in a chapter feel free to let me know and if I can't address the concerns immediately in story. By the way, don't worry about the Lastation girls, the reunion with Neptune and Gear will make up for their sudden leaving, and for good reason. Regarding Kei, I believe that fit her the most because they're both known for working hard and with the way people pronounce Aunt I couldn't help myself. Oh, and Neptune's 'quirk' isn't as bad as it sounds but being a slime comes with certain...needs.  
_


	8. Chapter 8

_Time flies when you get sick...or rather get hit with that, a minor plague, a freak hail storm, and discovering that some of your files are missing or not up to par. That last bit, among other things like contract nonsense, will be slowing down production for a bit. Looking back at the current W.I.P. for BxP 2 I realized that I could turn it around and get rid of what I would call filler, and get to advancing that plot into the next series...hopefully. I stopped for a while to work on something else, so I wouldn't get burnt out on that, and thankfully I checked myself before it was too late. Not that it was bad but I'd rather get to introducing the new girls in BxP 2 and getting the spotlight back on the titular pair. As for Frozen Delight, that's going to be slow as well until I sort things out IRL. Oh, and Vert isn't necessarily a Giant although she is a little bigger than usual...well, only slightly. As for their ticks, every girl may have a few, some more obvious and bigger than others, and their interactions will be interesting when things start to get hectic. Well, here's hoping for the best!  
_

* * *

"Nepgear."

"Yes, Neptune?"

"Is it me or is there something missing here?" I get the feeling that Neptune didn't do any research about Leanbox or on how to get there. What started as a pleasant trip quickly became a headache as we stood at the edge of a cliff while staring at a huge landmass far off the coast. Even from here we could make out a few buildings but we still couldn't figure out just how to get over there. Neptune slumped down to her knees and crossed her arms in frustration while thinking out loud. "How in the world did someone like Vert get across the ocean? There's no bridge anywhere to be seen and who knows what's lurking beneath those huge waves and...huge? That's it!" She spun up out of her seat and pointed directly at Vert, who had been amused at our problem for some reason. "You didn't swim, you floated here on those glorious floatation devices!"

"Neptune!" I can't believe she just outright said that! If Histoire was here she'd be giving her more than an earful about watching her mouth.

"It's quite alright, Nepgear." Vert replied, shrugging and letting Neptune get a good view of what I assume was going to be the topic of this discussion. "Your sister isn't the only one to who's shown appreciation for my...mature physique. I'm not one to scorn someone with tastes as refined as Neptune and...I believe I've taken a liking to you. To the both of you, in fact. Not as much as a certain someone, of course, but I would be more than happy to get you an audience with the Matriarch."

"Is she as sta-"

"We would love that, wouldn't we Neptune?" It's getting harder to keep Neptune's Slime quirk in check by the minute. As much as I'd like to help her get it out of her system I can't really ask a stranger, much less one from a completely different nation, to just endure whatever it my sister needs to do to get back to normal. "I'm sure she's as beautiful as Vert, but you shouldn't be so upfront about...'that'."

"Aww, but how else am I supposed to stay sane while I try to figure out how to get aaaaall the way over that giant rock?" Neptune lost steam again and sat back down, leaning back in an attempt to relax and focus on the task at hand. "Serious guess here, Vert...you came by boat?"

Vert, who had walked towards the cliff to stare off in the distance, sighed and flicked her long hair back as she turned to us. "I was hoping to keep that a surprise, but yes, I did arrive by boat. My boat, to be precise, courtesy of the Matriarch." She smiled and waved us over and pointed down at the shore below us. From here we could see a small dock and a fairly large boat that was pure white, save for some stylish green streaks and words. "Who knows, maybe she'll give you gift as well if you prove yourself as a valuable ally to her." She walked away from us with a spring in her step and spoke again. "I'm sure you're aware that going straight down isn't an option, so when you're ready head this way and come down these stairs."

Neptune and I nodded silently in agreement as we continued scanning the shoreline to see not much else of interest. Everything was silent with the exception of the waves gently crashing along the coast and I felt...at peace. Even with this big mission underway I wasn't nervous or anything, and it felt like it was just a matter of time before we'd be back in Planeptune. "Nepgear, lend me your face for a bit." I didn't get a chance to answer before Neptune jumped on my back and leaned forward, rubbing her cheeks alongside mine. "Aaa~ Now do you see-or feel, why I need to do what I do on occasion?"

The more she caressed my face the more I understood her situation: her face was incredibly smooth and warm to the touch, sending a tingling sensation all throughout my body. It might've been because I wasn't expecting it, or maybe because she's my sister but...maybe I should go ahead and let her-"Waaaaah!"

"Huh!?" A loud scream broke me and my sister out of our daze and I broke into a dash towards its direction, with Neptune still on my back. "Vert's in trouble!" There's a huge slope going down along the cliff and I could see our guest at the bottom wrapped in some weird, white...thread?

"Hoof it sis, if something happens to her Leanbox's boss lady would never forgive us!" Neptune's grip tightened on my shoulders as I stormed down the stone blocks that had formed stairs but we still couldn't see out of the ordinary aside from Vert being bound up. "You know, I've read my fair share of monster manuals and this seems like the perfect trap. You've got two daring femme fatales on their way to save a bodacious damsel in distress and watch out!"

"Watch out?" That doesn't sound like it was part of that narrative she was getting ready to go into.

"I mean watch out!" She leaned back and threw me off balance, making me land on her as a mass of white goop shot up from below us and landed on the wall. That...that looks like webbing! "Oof! We need to split up before we both get caught in that!" I got up in a rush but with a little boost from Neptune I ended up taking too many steps forward, too quickly, and stumbled down the rest of natural pathway. "Behind you!"

Before attending to Vert I turned my attention to where she was looking, and saw an unnaturally large, gray spider with a strange shine to it. I rolled out of the way just in time to dodge another glob white goo, and watched as it became motionless after settling on the ground. I don't think it can do much outside of trying to trap us so maybe if I try to close the gap I can end this quickly. "Nepgear, wait!" I bolted towards the spider, barely dodging another web shot and jumped towards it with my hands clasped together like a hammer and brought them down as hard as I could!

A loud thunk rang out from the center of its abdomen as a dull pain ran from hands and up my arms. Is this armor? I...my arms were still quivering as I stood on top of it and I couldn't move! Everything turned into a blur as Neptune dove towards me, tackling me and getting me off the armored monster. "How about picking someone your own size!" She gently set me aside and dashed back at the spider and let loose a powerful kick that flipped it over on its back, revealing a yellow underbelly that looked soft in comparison the rest of its body. "You've got some muscle sis, I think I saw a little dent in that spider's back." She said as she grabbed my hands, cramped up and stuck as if I was still holding something. With the constant throbbing in them I couldn't pull away and watched as Neptune closed her eyes and gently kissed them. "Heh, it's almost like we're kids again."

We did take care of each other a lot when we were growing up and I distinctly remember us patching each other up...Neptune needing help more than I did, of course. Most of the time it was just a band-aid but there was a rare occasion where we'd need to apply something bigger or maybe even salve. It never got too serious but we always watched out and cared for-"Neptune, your lips are shining..." I don't think I've ever seen her use makeup, or even joke around with it, and I would've noticed something like this much earlier.

"Oh yeah? Well your hands are glowing!" She said jokingly before we actually looked at my hands to see that they actually were! Not only that but they felt better too! "Whaaat!? I thought kissing wounds and booboos was just an old wives tale!" While Neptune panicked over whatever it is she did, I took the time to moving my fingers and hands about to see that they were already back in tip top shape. At least, I took my time until we heard loud skittering and the spider we were dealing with right itself up. "Oh yeaaaaah, we've got an eight-legged beasty to deal with, and I think I know how. I'll give it another boot and then boost you up so you can squash it like the bad bug it is."

"Technically spiders aren't bugs, they're arach-"

"Details, details, let's send this thing packing so we can save Vert and maybe even get a reward~"

"Is that all you can think about at a time like this?" I couldn't help but smile as I asked that while we got into position. If Leanbox's Matriarch is generous enough to give someone like Vert a boat surely she wouldn't mind giving us something...an odd part or two that might be lying around. "So how do you plan on giving me a boost?"

"You'll know it when you see your chance! Get ready!" She jumped away from me and landed near the gray spider on both feet, psyching herself up and intimidating it with all the sand she sent flying toward it. "Let's dance!" She spread her arms out and left herself open as she dared the spider to make a move. It chittered and shuffled to the side, and in that brief moment I could all of its eyes staring at me, but Neptune shuffled into its way. It moved in the opposite direction and again Neptune jumped in the way. It screeched pitifully and charged straight forward with Neptune getting into position to trip it. "No hard feelings Mr. Spider, but I'm-" As she crouched to sweep it the spider left the ground in one powerful leap and was flying straight towards me! "Oh no you don't!" Neptune recovered and turned to barely graze the spider's abdomen with her foot, tipping it forward in midair and making it land on its back again.

"That's it!" I ran toward Neptune and jumped with all my might onto the spider's exposed belly. I bounced off and toward my sister, who held her hands together and was waiting to catch me. "Aah, that wasn't enough!?"

"Alley oop!" She let her arms relax while I landed on her hands, letting her elasticity kick in, and I could feel my feet touch down on the ground before she launched me back into the air. "Get it in the gooey center this time!"

My stomach churned at the thought of making a mess of this monster but there's no turning back. I braced my body and mind as I fell back down to the beach and positioned both my feet together, somehow making myself spin a little like a spiraling arrow. "Haaa!" My feet pierced its body with ease and with a final squeal it exploded into wisps of black clouds...or at least, most of it exploded. I took a few steps back and saw the metallic remains of what we just dealt with. "That was obviously no ordinary spider but...what exactly was it?"

"An Adamantula."

"Ah." Neptune and I said in unison as Vert answered my que-"Vert!? Oh goodness, w-we were just cooling off before we went to untie you, I swear!"

"Yeah, we didn't completely forget about you or anything like that." She paused and watched as Vert pulled off the sticky stuff from her body as best as she could, but some of it conveniently stuck to her and it looked like Neptune was more than happy to help. "So uh, Vert, you look like you could use some hands on assistance with your sticky situation..." She said as she crept closer to her.

"There's no need for that, my dear." Vert replied, ignoring the increasingly perverted tone of Neptune's voice, and went to the shoreline while trying to wipe off more webbing from her chest. "I'll just be a moment and we can be on our way."

"You seem to know what we were fighting just now. What exactly is an...Adamantula?" I asked, mostly because I wanted to learn more about something we might bump into again and to change the subject once again. "Do a lot of things around here have the same armor as that thing or were we just unlucky?"

"We were unfortunate, really, since this wasn't roaming the area when I first arrived. As for your foe, Adamantula's are a breed of spider with a rare component in its webbing that reacts to different things." By now she was on her knees by the water's edge and splashed some water on herself before continuing. "If it's shot out like a normal web then it acts as such, if it comes in contact with prey then it will stick with extra tenacity and sap its strength, and in some cases it will attempt to coat itself in its own webbing and you've seen the results of that..." She splashed herself in the face a few times before placing a finger on her chin. "Hmm...I suppose it isn't so much a breed as it is an oddity when it comes to those monsters. I'll have to talk this over with..." Her voice trailed off as she stood up and brushed herself off before turning towards us. "Ah, that feels so mu-"

"Vert, please!" My sister shouted, barely holding herself together as she tugged and twirled her hoodie laces in her hands.

"Did I...miss something?"

I know Compa said she needed to do this but the way Neptune went about fighting her quirk started to...bug me a little. "She's a Slime after all, and according to our nurse she has to broaden her horizons and meet new people or something..." Why aren't the people she's already around enough? I'm pretty sure my fluff would be able to keep her in check...if I knew how to properly use it anyway.

Vert held her side and laughed a little before regaining her composure. "If you wanted a hug all you had to do was ask." She opened her arms and beckoned for Neptune to come, who was more than happy to dive in with a happy grunt as she landed on her. "You're welcome to join in as well, Nepgear."

Now that she's looking at me it would be pretty rude to turn down her invitation, and we did just save her from whatever fate that Adamantula had in store for her. I walked over and got behind my sister, so I didn't take away from her precious...cooling down but Vert's pulled me in for a tight squeeze. Even though she's wet she's really, really warm and I almost don't want to pull away just yet. Neptune muttered something but it was hard to understand her with her face buried in Vert's chest, although I don't think either of them cared too much. We shared our group hug until Vert felt she was dry enough to continue and we got on her boat to make way for Leanbox.

* * *

"Everything. Is. Huge!"

"Wooow..." I couldn't contain my excitement either as we stepped out of the Leanbox docks and into the city itself, which was full of buildings that made Planeptune's look tiny in comparison. I think the biggest places back home were the hotels and they were only a couple of stories tall but these...these seemed unnecessarily tall! Everything on our level seemed so busy, from the hordes of people going from place to place to huge vehicles transporting what I assumed were well, big products.

"I see the two of you are in awe, as you should be. I'm certain that you both want to go sightseeing right away but wouldn't you rather meet the Matriarch first?"

I snapped out of my daze and brought my attention back to Vert and nodded. We should definitely get our business here done first before we try to have fun because I'm sure we'd more lost here than in Actua Forest! "Neptune." My sister was busy wandering around with her head held high as she admired everything above and completely ignored me. "Neptune!"

"Huh what?" She was still looking away as came back to us and ended up looking at me as if I was the crazy one here. "I was just trying to find some places to install some TVs like back in Planeptune but everything is so...BIG! I don't think I could get Gust to make even one big enough for this place, and getting it here is another question entirely." Neptune folded her arms and pouted as she tried to think of an alternative. I'm surprised she isn't oggling Vert anymore but I suppose with her getting her urges out of her system she's alright now...

"Why ever would you want to bring TVs of all things here?"

"I'm glad you asked." Neptune said as she puffed her chest out and placed her hands on her hips. "It's my gift to Matriarchs of the other nations! I never got why everyone kept to themselves so I'm going to do what I think needs to be done and connect everything together. Normal TV watching is one thing but it's usually junk. I want more...stuff!" She spread her arms out and turned toward the city. "I...we had no idea Leanbox was so huge! I'm pretty sure there are some people who wouldn't mind getting a taste of a normal sized nation, no offense."

"Hmhm, none taken."

"It's just...I don't want to be nosy but I also don't want everyone to keep being strangers. Gah, it's hard to explain in words but you get what I'm saying, right?"

Vert smiled and walked ahead of us. "I believe I do, and I think the Matriarch would be more than happy to discuss matters with you at the Basilicom."

"You mean...?" Vert simply nodded and led the way to the Basilicom with us trailing behind. I still couldn't get over how much bigger everything was here and I could only imagine what this nation had in store for us. "Hey, Nepgear." Neptune lightly nudged my shoulder and barely spoke loud enough over the noise surrounding us. "This is only the first phase of my grand master plan! Just you wait, when this part is finished it'll be time for the real deal, and you're gonna help."

"Really? I can't wait to see-wait, what part do I play in all of this!?"


End file.
